Joan Mir finished second at the Styrian Grand Prix, as MotoGP resumed after the summer break.
The reigning world champion - who qualified on the second row - twice got away at the front of the race as part of a leading trio, with the initial running of the race red flagged.
As Mir and teammate Alex Rins debuted the team's new ride height adjuster, aimed at improving corner exit and acceleration, Mir battled for the lead, and held a comfortable second place as the trio became a duo.
Holding station, a slight mistake saw him run wide at turn three with a handful of laps remaining. Rather than push too hard to bridge the gap and risk a crash, he took a measured second place at the scene of his first MotoGP podium, which came last season on his way to the title.
He said, "It was a tough race, it wasn’t easy trying to follow Jorge [Martin] and towards the end of the race I made a mistake when trying to catch him and I went wide. Jorge was impressive today and very consistent with his lap times, so I want to congratulate him.
"In the end I’m satisfied and I feel very proud of the team and the factory who have made a great job over the summer. I’m happy to know that the new device is working, we have more acceleration and it puts us on a more level playing field - this gives me hope for the next races. Starting the second part of the season with a podium is a nice feeling and I feel confident for next weekend."
Rins, embroiled in the pack, picked his way forward as the laps ticked off, but was hindered by a brake issue at a circuit renowned for being heavy on braking.
He said, "Today was a mixture of good and bad for me, I struggled a lot with the front brake and I didn’t feel comfortable on the hard braking zones. Lap by lap I tried to adapt to this and manage it, and I was able to gain some places. In the end I finished seventh, but for sure the bike was capable of finishing closer to the front so we need to adjust it and resolve the issue for next weekend.
"I’m pleased that we can race again in just a few days at this same track because it gives me another chance to improve and bring a better result. The ride height device felt good, it gave me a step forward in acceleration and I’m happy to keep working with it from Friday."