This Thursday August 12, 2021, Joan mir answered questions from journalists from the Red Bull Ring circuit, on the eve of the Austrian Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Spanish driver, who finally achieved a convincing result last week on the Red Bull Ring, finishing second in the race. There is no doubt that he will try to repeat this performance this weekend in order to further preserve his chances for the title.
As usual, we report here the words of Joan mir without the slightest formatting.
Joan, you probably had one of your best performances of the season in the last race with your second place. Do you feel like you finally launched your title defense last Sunday?
" I just think we had a good race. I'm not thinking about defending the title yet. It's clear that Suzuki did a good job this summer trying new things, and it seems like all that work paid off as we were able to have better performances. We will therefore have to continue to progress, this will be the key. »
“The year last year we managed to win the title, but only thanks to our consistency, and at the start of the year I explained that I wanted to win more and be faster. But at the moment I'm not thinking about the championship but just about getting these victories. This is what I will try to do every weekend, and in the end we will see where I am. »
“Last year we managed to win the title only thanks to our consistency”
You qualified in fifth position last weekend, which is effectively your best qualification this season. How important is achieving better qualifications to you?
" It is indeed very important to qualify well. For me, qualifying on the second row was like taking pole position. This represents a lot of work that we no longer have to do later in the first round. When you start beyond the top 10, it is always possible to obtain a podium, but this represents an excess of risks to take, and if you want to fight for the title, it is not thinkable to start from 'this far on the starting grid during each race. We must therefore continue to progress in this area, and we will have to achieve better lap times. »
“It is not possible to think that we can challenge for the title by starting from so far back on the starting grid during each race”
What is your opinion on the Maverick Viñales situation?
" It is a really sad situation, and I don't like to talk about it, because it's not my fight. All I can say is that I don't like this kind of situation, whether it happens to a driver or a manufacturer. »
“The break between Yamaha and Viñales is not my fight”
