Iannone says he is “more mature” than Rins

Iannone was the Japanese manufacturer’s top finisher in Losail, although Rins was well in contention for a top-six finish before crashing out at mid-distance. 

The Italian rider said he backed off due to the “risk” of trying to stay with the leaders, as he lost confidence with the front of his GSX-RR, and contrasted his approach to that of the less experienced Rins.

“In Qatar I closed at 12 seconds [behind the leader],” said Iannone last week in a press conference in Paris. “It's not a lot, but it's a lot in MotoGP.

“Alex stayed in front of me and was very close to the first group, and in the end he crashed because always you want to push at the limit, you risk a lot. 

“I think I have a little bit more maturity at the moment; when I think the situation is not at 100 percent I try to manage the situation, to finish the race, get some points. It's different.

“In any case, we have one year in front of us and we work very strong to improve.”

Suzuki went the whole of the 2017 season without a single podium finish, resulting in the Hamamatsu brand regaining the technical concessions it had lost the previous year.

But Iannone, whose last podium came at Valencia in 2016 – his last race on a Ducati – says top-three finishes can now be a regular target.

“Last year, Aragon has been a very good test for us, very important because we understood very well the way and during the season we continued to improve a little bit,” he said.

“We arrived at the end of the season, we recovered a lot and closed a lot the gap from the top riders. 

“For sure in every race we try to get the podium and fight for the top. It's our target and for sure we work for this.”

Additional reporting by Lena Buffa