Factory HRC rider Alvaro Bautista has said he liked nothing about the new Fireblade in early testing and thought it 'impossible' to ride.

The Spanish former MotoGP star believed he had made a huge error as his laptimes were a long way off the pace early doors and it was the end of his career.

"Sincerely, the first time I tried this bike, I thought, ‘Shit, impossible to ride'. I liked nothing about the bike, nothing. In the winter tests, nothing," said Bautista.

"I thought, ‘Why am I here? It’s impossible’. Then we started to work and even in the January and February tests, I was struggling a lot, no feeling with the bike, always not knowing where the limit is, three seconds slower than the rest.

"For me it was like a disaster, I thought it was the end of my career. I was very worried about the decision.

"When we restarted the season with the Barcelona test, I started to feel a bit different with the bike, and I thought, ‘Oh, it’s a big change’, in Japan they made a big improvement, especially on the electronics, power delivery, that we requested after the Australia race.

"Fortunately we made a really big step and started to get more confidence. After the Aragon test we did, before the Jerez race, I felt much better.

"Now I’m convinced that this project can arrive in a good place. But if you asked me at the beginning, I was so worried."