Honda is making gains with its MotoGP bike every time it takes to the track, championship leader Marc Marquez feels.

Following a challenging winter as it adjusted to the new Magneti Marelli control electronics, Honda was on the back foot heading into the new season, and even made a wrong turn with a setting in first practice in Qatar.

Marquez regrouped to finish on the podium there before winning both races of the Americas swing, and he returns to Europe as the championship leader. He has been impressed by the progress Honda has made during the flyaway races.

“Every time, we find something, something new, in the electronics or in the bike,” he said. “We are improving step by step. [At Austin] we improved the start, the electronics on the start, so the start was much better than the other ones.

“Also, we improved the engine braking a little bit – we found something after Argentina, so step by step we are improving. On Friday I tried some wings, I tried a different fairing, so we are working.

“OK it’s possible to be [going the] wrong way, but I hope that now we are in the correct way and we must follow this way and try to work with the same style.”

The double MotoGP champion believes the contrast between Honda’s situation now and at the start of testing could not be bigger, but knows it still has work to do against the constant threat of Yamaha and the emerging Ducati.

“I remember the feeling of Malaysia that I was pushing 100 percent in the first day [of pre-season testing] and I was 1.5 seconds slower per lap than Jorge [Lorenzo],” said Marquez. “That feeling was really frustrating. But the key I think is I always believed in Honda, in my team. They worked a lot. They are still working because we are not at our 100 percent level with the performance.”