Maverick Vinales w꧑ill continue with a stiffer set-up on his Movistar Yamaha during Friday practice in Argentina, as he prepares to try and challenge for a repeat of last ♚year's victory.

After four months of winter testing, it was only on the eve of the season-opening Qatar race that Vinales re-discovered confidence and feeling with the M1 for more than a s𝔍ingle fast lap.

It wasn't enough to battle for victory at Losail, other areas of the bike such as acceleration needing ൲further refinement for the new set-up, but Vinales was able to climb from 15th to 6th, only 3.8s from race winner Andrea Dovizioso.

"The feeling came in FP4," Vinales confirmed in Argentina on Thℱursday.

"I went harder on the springs, because I brake quite late. I felt good with that. We will see, we have to continue trying. But what I felt is that during all the tests, I never had the same confidence and enough🦋 confidence as I had duringꦜ in the race.

"So we have to keep continue going practice by practice, trying to find the set-up I feel mo🍨re comfortable with. But anyway, Argentina is a good track, I alꦓways have positive feelings when I arrive here, so I can't wait to start.

"I ♑will try to be strong and try to at least be at the same level aꦏs last year, which should be good to try to fight for the win. Tyre choice is going to be very, very important, we have to be intelligent, and we have to go in a good way.

"With t🍃he feeling I had in the Qatar race, I am muc💫h more confident."

That confidence extends to the possibility of rain; the Achilles' heel of las𒐪t year's factory Yamaha.

"My forecast says it will stay sunny on Sunday. But anyway, if it rains, we haveꦺ to keep working, keep focused, I think this year the bike is going to be much bet✅ter in the rain.

"Alre𒅌adyꦏ the first feeling on the bike [in the rain] was good in Malaysia, so I think in the rain we can be strong."