Marc Marquez: Honda 'can see the light' after tough MotoGP tests

A tough start at Sepang in February was countered by a more positive test at Phillip Island, before Marquez and team-mate Dani Pedrosa struggled with the RC213V's handling again on Wednesday's first day at Losail.

Marquez fell on the final day, but posted the fourth-fastest time with his final lap as the test concluded, having followed pacesetter Jorge Lorenzo for a number of laps.

"Honestly, I'm very happy today, because we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

"I went back to having a good feeling on the bike, and even though I crashed I know why it happened.

"I am very happy because we have taken a step forward at a track where I have struggled before.

"We have made some big changes that have allowed me to start gaining confidence, riding at a good pace both behind Jorge and alone, even despite the dew on track at the end."

Marquez's best lap was 0.592 seconds behind Lorenzo, and he admits that deficit is still not ideal heading to the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on March 20.

"It is still not enough, and we need to improve more," he said.

"But after today I have much more confidence for the race.

"Yesterday I was worried about our level, because I had no pace or confidence, and today we have taken a big step forward, so I'm happy with the final result of the last preseason test.

"We have found out a lot of things that have allowed me to ride at a fairly good level."

Pedrosa finished the day 14th, lamenting a depleted tyre bank and that "unfortunately the conclusions are not entirely satisfactory".