Iannone: Phillip Island shows doubters "how strong I am"

After the Italian took his first top-six finish of the season with a strong run to fourth at Motegi, Iannone also spent the Australian Grand Prix fighting in the leading group, eventually taking sixth.

The Suzuki rider said it was satisfying for him to show those that had criticised him during his tough season - including Cal Crutchlow and Kevin Schwantz - how "strong" he really is.

"Considering how many times I had to hear about my results with Suzuki, this [strong performance at Phillip Island] definitely satisfies me a lot," said Iannone.

"Today I heard people say they remembered how strong I am. But I never forgot it and I never stopped believing in my potential.

"I tried to keep my head down and get back to where we should be, and I'm surprised if anyone still has any doubts."

Iannone explained that the flowing nature of the Phillip Island track is one that plays to the strengths of the GSX-RR, with few heavy acceleration zones and long periods at full lean.

But he is uncertain whether the final two tracks of the season at Sepang and Valencia will be as favourable.

"[Phillip Island] is a good track for us," he said. "We have the bike most of the time at an angle, and Suzuki bike at an angle is one of the best bikes. But when we pick up, we lose again.

"We hope to be competitive enough in the last two races as well, even though on paper they look difficult. Let's see what will happen."

The Italian was competitive at Sepang in pre-season testing, but confirmed he and Suzuki made a mistake by choosing the wrong engine specification over the winter.

"During the test [we were] in a different situation, I ended up in second position and we finished with a good result," he recalled. "But now it’s completely different.

"In the winter we made a mistake, at the moment I don’t know what to expect."

Additional reporting by Andrew van Leeuwen