This season, Fabio Quartararo will not have been the only one to have led a Grand Prix as a MotoGP beginner. His former Moto3 teammate Joan Mir, and now a Suzuki official, joined him in this performance at Assen. Even if it was only for a few turns and this responsibility made him somewhat lose his means. But the Spaniard intends to relive that this weekend at the Sachsenring.
It all started well for Joan mir in this Dutch Grand Prix. In the wake of its leader Alex Rins who was leading the debates, he concentrated on this Suzuki to find his rhythm and manage his tires. But after just these turns, Joan lost that precious Mir point. Propelled into the lead by events, he admits to having lost his concentration: “ Rins had fallen at turn 9 and I found myself in the same corner. I made the two right curves and at turn 12, which happens at over 200 km/h, I lost the front of the bike and at turn 15 I made a mistake. So I thought, “I need to calm down, I’m not going to do two laps!” » » said the Spaniard.
« I was nervous, more out of fear than anything else, but there was a bit of everything » admits the Majorcan. “ I remember in 2016, when I started in Grand Prix, the first race I led was like “you’re welcome!” ". Then I had Fenati behind me, Navarro… And now I have Márquez, Viñales… Well, you are a little more nervous because the level is going up ».
Once calmed down, he set himself in ambush in order to deliver the blow later. But the plan did not go as planned: “ the choice of a soft compound at the front and a hard compound at the rear was risky. It was not clear that we could finish the race in good conditions. At the beginning I followed Álex because I needed his experience of motorcycles and his tire management. I got behind the top three and was pretty comfortable, but I told myself that if I kept this pace, my tires wouldn't last more than a few laps ».
« So I slowed down. The Ducati passed me and I stayed with it, saving my rubber. On this route, you can do that by taking the suction ". He was sixth. Then Crutchlow et Morbidely arrived while, in front, Quarterly slowed down. “ I figured it was time to try and get him. I attacked, but after two laps my tires were dead. Probably because the start of the race was too fast ».
« I think I could have finished fourth in this race, but it was not possible: the rubber was finished and it was something that affected me a lot, because I lost two seconds per lap » lamented Joan. “ Here the races are very long. First I had something more than the others, then less, then again… It was like a roller coaster. But after this weekend, even after the Montmeló test, we have already taken a step forward and we have always been in front " said Joan mir, confident.
Especially since the next meeting is at the Sachsenring this weekend: “ it's a track where I have already won and where I almost won last year, in Moto2. So it's a good avenue for me. I don't know about the motorcycle. We'll see. But it could be a good date for us ».
The best Grand Prix result on a MotoGP is sixth place in Catalunya and he was eighth at Assen. It's 14e in the championship and second among the rookies, behind Quarterly.
MotoGP Assen J3: classification
