Iannone: Suzuki "can't hide" race pace deficit

The Italian was third on the opening day of running at Losail, and topped Friday's session before having to sit out the final day on Saturday due to illness.

However, Iannone insisted topping the times meant little too him, as he is still struggling with the same issues over race distance he did last season aboard the GSX-RR.

“I'm not some rookie who gets excited by finishing a day fastest; we are here for different reasons,” stated the Italian. "My goal remains to fight for important positions.

"I am being honest, and I don't want to take the piss. Being the fastest rider doesn't count for anything, we need to understand what will happen on the race weekend.

“I'm calm because at the moment I can ride the bike pretty well, but in the race simulation we can't hide – we suffer too much, like we did in 2017.

“This is because the bike gets nervous when the tyre drops, especially at the front. This is why we still have to work on some aspects. I am happy with our speed, but not 100 percent satisfied.

“We have limits, on the straights we have a lot of trouble overtaking, for example. We are slow. This is something we need to fix ahead of the race.”

Rins: The package is perfect

Teammate Alex Rins, on the other hand, said he encountered no such issues during the Qatar test, with the Spaniard even saying this was “one of the best pre-seasons” for Suzuki.

Ending the Qatar test seventh overall, Rins was pleased with how the bike performed over race distance and branded the GSX-RR as “perfect” after Saturday's running.

He said: “Well, I think this pre-season was really good for us. In Malayisa and Buriram we were trying many new parts that they [Suzuki] bring to these tests, and here in Qatar was a little bit to confirm everything works.

“And is like that, I think that was three really positive days in Qatar testing everything. I did a small race simulation, and also the rhythm, the pace was quite good. So I think this is one of the best pre-seasons for us.

“I think they work really hard this pre-season in Japan to try to create a competitive bike, and I just be on the bike trying to do my maximum, do the laps at full gas, and I think that we find something.

“I'm confident with the bike, the package I think is perfect.”

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont