MotoGP Spain Day 2, Joan Mir (Honda Q9/S9): "Yamaha? We prefer to take inspiration from Ducati"

Joan Mir saves the day for Honda in Spain! Johann Zarco's crash and Luca Marini's failed qualifying have propelled the 2020 world champion to the top of the Honda riders' standings. It's no secret that Jerez is one of his favorite tracks, where he already scored points in the short-form race in 2024. However, his ninth place on the grid—the result of qualifying directly into Q2—is definitely encouraging. Mir looks to the future.

Very happy with his performance, Joan Mir is satisfied with this ninth place at the finish. « Given our critical problems, this position is not so bad.. I found myself in a group with Vinales, Di Giannantonio, and Bezzecchi. But the vibrations put me in trouble, we had to compensate with the front tire and that's why I had no more rubber in the last four laps » he asserted for GP One.

 

 

This weekend, Aleix Espargaro's invaluable help is being felt. Joan Mir is pleased that another driver shares his opinion on the RC213V's problems. « His comments echo mine.It will be a good weekend in terms of information gathered, because he is always very fast. He offers the same feedback as a factory rider. By working in this way, we can progress. » he continued.

 

 

Naturally, Mir couldn't miss out on pole position from Fabio Quartararo, who is riding another Japanese machine that has previously struggled. The Honda driver doesn't envy "El Diablo" and was himself very happy with his time in Q2. « I had a good ride. When I read 1'36''2 on my dashboard, I initially thought it was a second row. Yamaha, on the other hand, are competitive on certain circuits. Quartararo was good at Sepang but had difficulties in Thailand. Here, he's riding well, but we don't look at what the others are doing. We prefer to focus on ourselves, or at best, take inspiration from Ducati » he concluded.

Do you welcome Joan Mir's approach to 2025? Tell us in the comments!

Sprint result at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez:

 

 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport