Britain’s Sam Lowes has targeted top-ten finishes by the middle of his rookie season in MotoGP but the Aprilia man knows he still has a lot of learning and improving to do - starting this weekend in Qatar.

The youngster comes into the premier class after three years in Moto2 and says the biggest difference is the rate at which things happen but adds he hasn’t had to change his off-bike regime too much to cope.

“The biggest difference is the speed. It’s the speed exiting in the corner and stopping for the corner. It’s quite a big difference and it takes the brain a bit of time to understand what is going on. MotoGP is a little more physical but I have trained in a normal way - a little bit more with weights to be a bit stronger but it’s not so different,” said Lowes.

The new Aprilia, which he shares with Aleix Espargaro for the next two seasons, has already invaded the business end of the timesheets but Lowes says he will take his time and built up knowledge in a race environment.

“For me the strongest points are the race distance, the tyre life, the way that we work with tyre, and the chassis on the bike. Maybe the biggest area to improve is little bit more push off the corners, this is one area where we struggle a little bit, but I think overall the package has made a good step from last year and I think we can be positive going into the season. We know where we need to improve and I know where I need to improve.

“We are still working on developing the bike and Aleix is a good guy - it is important for us to be pulling in the same direction. He has been in MotoGP a long time, he has a great style, a good understanding of what he wants from the bike and these are things from which I can learn.”

So far, Lowes has been eclipsed by the pace of fellow rookies Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger, while Alex Rins has had a rough start, but the Isle of Man resident is content to work on his own terms.

“Maybe the biggest opponent should be myself, because I’m just working on myself to improve and improve. Right now, it’s about me doing the best job I can. Once there are two or three races, we’ll see where we are and then we’ll work to improve from that. My goal is to start the season fighting for the points and then in the middle of the season, start to push into the top ten positions.

“To arrive in MotoGP isn’t easy to do, and to arrive in a team like this, and with a factory contract it is also really important. It’s really a proud moment for me.”