Already playing catch-up to the likes of Ducati, Aprilia and Yamaha after February’s opening t♚est at Sepang, KTM instead appeared to slip further behind at Portimao.

That means they have little choice but to try new parts - rather than the normal set-up work - during 🦩this weekend’s season-opener at the same Portuguese track.

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Esparg𝓡aro led the KTM/GASGAS challenge with 13th in Malaysia and hoped the main components of this year’s machine were locked in place. However, the four RC16s were lodged🐼 near the bottom of the timesheets in Portimao.

While an ‘insane’ flying lap from 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Brad Binder put the South African ninth overall, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Jack Miller, Espargaro and rookie team-mate 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Augusto Fernandez were 17th, 18th and 21🀅st respectively. The quartet also looked outside the top 15 for race pace.

"As you saw in t🌊he [Portimao] test, we did not enjoy it as much as we did in Malaysia," Espargaro said. "We were much stronger there but the factory has been working these past days at home to figure out what happened and why here, with this tyre, it is not working as it should.

"It looks like they found some different reasons and some differe🎐nt stuff to try during the race weekend.

"Obviously it is not the bes🍬t plan to go through the weekend testing parts but we are thankful for that. The test was bad, but the factory was working hard to have some alternatives to play with the bike and t𒆙hat’s nice."

Despite their current woes, which Binder describes as a chronic lack𒆙 of rear grip, Espargaro insists he still feels ‘better with the GASGAS than the Honda’.

"In Honda I had problems that did not allow me 🃏to ride as I would like. I had some spots in the year where I could ride good, but overall I feel better with the bike I have now. I feel better with the GASGAS than the Honda.

"I don’t know if I will be fast in the same places I was with the Honda and hopefully faster 🍨in others. Obviously cha🔯ssis-wise I feel much more comfortable with this one and it fits much more to my riding style and my riding characteristics."

Espargaro, also reunited with crew chief Paul Trevathan at Tech3 this year, took just two podiums in two seasons with Honda, compared 🐎to five in his final season at Red Bull KTM.

But for nowℱ his targets are modest: "Difficult [to predict] because in Malaysia we were not so bad, but here we were… I hope we can be in the top ten consistentlꦡy."