We are only at the third Grand Prix of the season in Austin and it is already a state of emergency for Joan Mir. That the 2020 World Champion on Suzuki was dominated by Marc Marquez in his Repsol box the year he discovered the reluctant RC213V, still happens. But the fact that he is being cut into by his former cubicle neighbor Alex Rins, who rides the same machine within the private structure LCR, ends up raising questions. And in Austin, the difference is such for the moment that Mir loses his colors and takes on the posture of a collateral victim while Rins sands the Prosecco.
The situation of Joan mir will end up convincing us that pilots who had a successful season during year 1 of the world after were at the same time struck by a curse. The Spaniard was king in the premier category during this 2020 vintage and his runner-up was then Franco Morbidelli. And when we look at the course of the careers of the two afterwards, there is reason to wonder.
This Saturday at Austin was not in the realm of dispelling doubt. On the contrary. WhileAlex Rins shone in the limelight, Joan Mir thus commented in the shadows on his race Sprint : “ this Saturday's sprint shows us that we still have a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to riding the bike the way I want » mutters the official pilot Honda. " But we are always learning and improving, this is the most important thing and what we focus on ».
Joan Mir: “ it was really important to finish after two difficult and unlucky races »
He adds : " it was really important to finish this Sprint after two difficult and unlucky races. So now we know better what to expect this Sunday and we can prepare better. It was a really tough race in this heat and with the track conditions ».
For his part, his distinguished companion and teammate Alex Rins Takaaki Nakagami added from his thirteenth place at the end of the Sprint: “ it was a difficult race. I had problems with rear grip, which prevented me from fighting and overtaking my rivals. Sprinting is a demanding race and the Circuit of the Americas is one of the toughest on the calendar. These conditions have not helped us and we are working hard now to find better solutions for the areas we are struggling with, let's see how Sunday's race goes ».
A Grand Prix from which the Japanese will start from 17è place while Joan Mir will approach it from the 13è place. Very far fromAlex Rins, positioned on the second plot of the first line…
MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas SPRINT results at Circuit of the Americas in Austin:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
