The Japanese explained that the big change in front end downforce was so radical it will require re-balancing the entire bike. Something the mixed Silve꧒rstone weather, including an all-wet Saturday, didn’t allow time for.

But the LCR rider still persisted with the new bodywor🔯k for Sun♏day’s grand prix in order to ‘collect data’ for HRC.

Starting 21st, Nakagami remained towards the tail of the field, prompting him to join Fabio di Giannantonio, Franco Morbidelli and Iker 🧜Lecuona in gambling on a switch to a wet weather bike when rain spots fel𒉰l in the closing stages.

It didn’t pa𝔉y off ꦚand the Japanese crossed the line in 16th place.

“We decided to rac🌱e the new aero package and it makes sense because even in difficult condꦏitions it's better to collect data to give HRC,” Nakagami said.

“Of ꦅcourse, the result and the performance is not super good. I'm disappointed. But at least I understood more about th✤e aero package during the race.

“It wಞas a really tough, difficult weekend, but let's see in Aus🎐tria.

“After the race we had a conversation with HRC and they said that they are thinking to prepare the twౠo bikes with the new aero package for Austria.

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“Thiꦫs means, we will have time to understand more and☂ we can try many things to adapt to the new aero package.

“This weekend, unfortunately the weather was not helping and also especial൩ly this year's new practice format d𓃲oesn't help.

“It's really difficult to adapt in such a very short time. But this is racing, so we need to keep working on it and t𝄹o understand mo꧟re deeply the new aero package.

“Because definitely HRC are believing in this direction. I don't know about the factory team, if they w🌃ill hom♚ologate it or not, but we did it. So we have to keep using it.”

The obvious perk of more front downforce is a reduction in wheelie𓂃s. While that’s not a particular issue at the fast and flowing Silverstone circuit, it could prove more beneficial at stop-go tracks like Austria.

But Nakagam💯i made clear the whole set-up and balance of the bike needs to be changed to work with the new fairing and front✨ wings.

“Definitely it's more downforce and then a lot less wheelie, but the lap time is not coming [here] because the turnin𒐪g and also the bike balance is s💞o different,” he explained.

“It affected so much, the front feeling, but then also the rear, a lot ♋less rear gr🥀ip. And it was really difficult to create the right balance. They [HRC] have ideas to generate more rear grip. So we will try in Austria.”

The new fairing, which also fea🍃tures a wider ground-effect style lower section first pioneered by Aprilia, mi༺ght also mean a change in riding style.

“What I understood [here] is that we need to be riding more like a V [stop-go] style, also Ducati are using this kind of the riding style and they are working pretty ಌwell,” Nakagami said. “But al🧸so HRC had the same idea.

“As a rider 🌱we need to adapt to the new aero package, we need to understanꦛd how we can go fast. It will still take time to understand and to use such a high downforce on the front.”

But aero alone will not fix Honda’s current woes, with lead Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez only briefly featuring in Sun✤day’s top ten before joining team-mate Joan Mir in crashing out.

Nakagami’s temporary team-mateꩵ L༒ecuona crossed the line in 17th.

“At tꦿhe end, it’s a balance, not only downforce. They [Honda] need to improve also electronics. Also mechanical, 🐟rear grip, still we are missing a lot,” Nakagami said.

“I felt definitely less wheelie [with the new aero]. We can go with higher [engine] torque. But just before the tra🌄ction area, still we are spinning too much and the bike starts to shake. So this m🍬akes less drive. That is the area where we lose a lot.

“Now we have ten days off and for sure HRC will try to understand more deeply. And hopefully, they have some ideas for how to use such high downforce and try to make a good balance on the bike i👍n Austria.”

Nakagami is 17th in the world championship, with absent team-mate Alex Rins still the highest Honda, in 14th,🐠 desp✱ite missing the last four rounds due to his fractured leg at Mugello.

Nakagami's original 2023 fairing (which remains officially available to him for the rest of the season, alongside the new design) can be seen below: