After a ‘little upgrade’ to the RC213V’s MotoGP engine in Austria, 𝐆Repsol Honda team m𝔉anager Alberto Puig has revealed the factory’s ‘biggest step of the year’ should debut at Misano.

That step, which Puig desc🧔ribes as a ‘full package difference’, is thought to pencilled in for the Official post-race MotoGP test on September 9 rather than this week’s private outing ▨at the Italian track.

“It's true that we 🌊made some ꦗprogress with the throttle connection [with the new engine configuration]. It affects some riders more than others… But the [direction] looks like it’s correct,” Puig told Dorna's Simon Crafar in Austria.

“We have another test soon to reconfirm. And then in Misano♎ we will have the biggest step of the year. Which will not only be an engine or aero, it will be a full package difference.

“We are still not there clearly [but] 𝔍we know the problems and we are trying to fix them.”

The ‘Austria🍰’ engines were the second evolution of the new sp൩ec introduced in Barcelona.

The ‘Barcelona’ engines lacked straight-line performance compared to the standard version but were seen as the first step in the right direction: Joan Mir described them as on🔯e step back to takeꦦ two steps forward in future.

Although Mir and Repsol Honda team-mate both had the revise𒀰d configuration in Austria, it appears was first to race the revis𒆙ed powerplants, at Silverstone.

Nakagami received two new engines at the British Grand Prix an✤d did not open any more at the Red Bul🍌l Ring, but said he was on the same spec as the Repsol riders.

Nakagami’s LCR team-mate opened one new engine in Austria, which gaveꦏ him trouble in the race, but remained on an older spec.

Although Nakagami finished as the top rider on a Japanese bike, in 14th, he played down the significance of the latest 𓂃engine tweaks.

“It's not a massive step… I mean we cannot decide [if] this package ಌis better or not. In some area the new spec is slightly better, but we are still struggling,” he said.

“In my case, I'm jumping from the ‘Zarco-spec’ [engine] to the new one. For example, Marini went from the other [new] spec🌠 to this new one. So maybe he can feel more clearly the difference.  

“But anyway, small things, that little byꦓ little we try to solve the problems, step by step!”

Nak🦩agami co𓃲nfirmed he had felt “some positive feeling from the bike” as he climbed from 22nd on the grid:

“It's a shame that the qualifying session was not really good, but I kne🧸w for the long distance, if I do no mistakes, at least the target was to be the fastest Honda.”

Mir’s grand prix was much bleaker, finishing in 17th place and 40 seconds from r🌄ace winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati).

“A challenge honestly to finish the race. Difficult to have worse feelings [than] I had,” concluded Mir, who had been looking forward to the rev🎉ised engine configuration only to experience unexpected problems with it at the Red Bull R🐭ing.

“I cannot see a specific area where I can be competitive,” he add෴ed. “On straight braking, I was locking the front. Then my bike was spinning a lot. You have a constant floating feeling that you cannot control.

“Then the drop of the tyre is bigger than the others, because we spin more and overheat the tyres more than the others. And also at the beginning of the race in the group I had to slow down because my fron🅺t tyre pressure was in the moon. So I was not really able t♛o push.”

The Spaniard is now pinning his hopes on progress during the ꦛupcoming series of tests and race weekends.

“We have quite a busy schedule because we have testing in Misano on Wednesday, for one day. Then in Aragon [GP🦩], we will try more things. In Misano race and Misano test again we will try more things, different engine configurations," Mir said.

Suzuki’s 2020 world champion backed up Puig’s comments by stating t꧙hat the Misano test items will include ‘some big things’.

“We will try something to help on the grip, some big things that I t♛hink can help us to understand what is the direction for next year.”

Team-mate Marini, perhaps the most upbeat of the Honda riders in recent events after climbing fromℱ the bottom of▨ the timesheets, failed to finish Sunday’s grand prix due to a technical problem.

“New engine is a big🍬 word. I’d say a little upgrade,” was how the Italian described the Austria spec configuration. “After the Silverstone race we saw Taka’s performance looks a little better, but [still] not enough to [match] the other engines [in a straight line], which are more difficult to ride.”

On Sund🍌ay evening, Marini was also looking ahead to the upcoming tests at his local track:

“I think 🍸we made a solid weekend, some positive things that will help us for the development of the bike. Now we have an important test in Misano,🍰 hopefully the weather will be good.”

This week’s private test should see so𒆙me aero updates, 🍒which Marini indicated would be aimed at the ground effect technology long exploited by the European machines “to make the bike turn and stop in a very good way.”

Swingarm and chassis parts, plus electronics work♌, are also on the agenda but they are, “little𒅌 details. Everything is new but not a completely new project. It's slightly better more or less, every update.

“So if you brought the bike from the start of the season he🙈re - maybe not for me because I didn't like it, but maybe for Zarco - the difference would be very close. So we have to push more, but I appreciate really the effort that all the engineers are putting into the project.”

Marini then teased that something significant could appear at the official Misano test but appeared to be talking about a specific development rather than the ‘full package’ referred to by Pu꧋ig.

“There is something that can be big. We will see after I have tried it... So let's wait 💖for the moment that we are going to try th🌄at part.”

Marini and Mir have opened 7 out of their 9 engines allowed this season, meaning the Repsol riders have room to try just 🌊one more engine design update if introduced to both of their machines ('spare' and 'number one' bike).

The LCR riders haveꦆ more fl✃exibility for future updates, with Zarco currently on 5 engines and Nakagami on 6.