"Ideally they want me on a 4 stroke," he revealed. "At the end of the day it's their choice what I do, but I will be testing it again before the end of the season and we will know more about how competitive the bike is.

"If the 2 stroke is still quicker than the 4 stroke at the start of next season then obviously I would prefer to stick with the 500."

Turning his attention to this weekend, he declared: "Estoril is a very short and very tight circuit and I don't really like riding here. Anyway, we will be working hard and hope to take another step towards the title on Sunday."