Reigning world champion Joan Mir has turned u🅰p the heat on Suzuki to start matching the technical improvements made by its MotoGP rivals.

Facing another comeback ride after qualifying tenth for Sunday's Catalan round, the frustrated Spaniard described his GSX-RR as being 'the same bike as ♛last year' and admitted to being 'a bit worried' about his title defence♔.

After seven rounds, Mir is already 40-points behind Yamaha's Fabio꧋ Quartararo, who has qualified on pole for the fifth event in a row. The French෴man has won three races so far this season, while Mir and Suzuki have only managed a pair of thirds.

"Again, I’m a bit disappointed in qualifying. I gave 100% but the truth is I can’t go faster. It’s a bit frustrating. But I’m consistent and I’m happy about the pace... I think we will make a race again from less to more," Mir said of fighting through the field in a similar way to last year, where he got to within one-seco🐓nd of Quartararo by the flag.

"This [recovering from a🔯 bad qu🤪alifying] is not the way to win races. Like this, I will be able to finish on the podium if I’m good in the race, if I’m able to manage well and make super good laps.

"But the t💦ruth is that we have to continue improvi♌ng and pushing because the competitiveness this year is really high.

"A lot of manufacturers improved and we didn’t i🎉mprove.

"Our bike is really good. we have a good base. But I have the s൲ame bike as last year. It’s the same one.

"What does that mean? I’ve been two-tenths closer to pole position than here last year, but I was eighth last year and now I’m tenth. So this means we are not improꦡving.

"We need always to push a b♛it more, to have more material and test more things to improve. This year clearly a lot of people improved. We have a good package but we didn’t improve this year.

"I’m a bit worried bec🍸ause I want to defend the title. And I think Suzuki also. But I think that we can push a b🦂it more, honestly."

Mir reiterated that it's the lack of new 𝓰parts that needs to be addressed.

"To briꦚng more things," Mir said. "Because the team works really well. But it’s not enough. The others are working harder maybe. We need to work all of us h♚arder if we want to defend the crown.

"What I think can be improved is the spe🔯ed and the delivery of things."

Suzuki is now 🔯the only manufacturer without a rear๊ holeshot device/ride-height system to help with acceleration and is yet to try a carbon-fibre swingarm.

Mir is the only Suzuki rider ꧅competing this weekend due to a bicycle injury for team-mate Alex Rins.