This Spanish Grand Prix was nothing but desolation for Honda official Joan Mir who could not even console himself with the test which followed in Jerez. In four days spent in Andalusia, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion on Suzuki fell four times from his RC213V. The Majorcan is sinking into a long tunnel from which he is not yet ready to see the exit since he confirms that his confidence is seriously shaken...
That being said, in this fourth stage of the championship, none of the spearheads Honda did not shine. On the other hand, they distinguished themselves by falls. In the test Sprint, the duo did not score a single point. In the Grand Prix, Kidneys fell in the first round and Joan Mir in the second, both at turn 9… With eight falls this season, Joan Mir leads this statistic. After which no one runs. And again, we don't count the accident suffered during Monday's test...
« We have a problem with the motorcycle », sighs Joan mir which thus gives the dimension of his distress: “ I have a beastly lack of confidence ". It develops : " the problem is still the same. When I try to push, I fall. The front wheel collapses. There is a limit. You have to be patient and find a solution. It's not that I don't try... ».
He also admits not being surprised: “ This is exactly what I expected. Of course, you always want more. You start with optimism. But it was clear that it would be difficult. It wasn't easy at Suzuki in the first year either. The situation is somewhat similar, but I have more experience now. I know what I need to be fast. Sooner or later we will get there. We build a base from race to race I'm hoping to find something that will help me feel better about the front of the bike ».
Joan Mir: “ we are still working to understand the bike and falling during a test complicates things »
« The high temperatures of the weekend made everything more critical, we are still working to understand the bike. When I try to attack I feel like I reach the limit and lose the front, it's a combination of the bike and my style he said. Joan mir was hoping for a positive sign from the test which followed the Grand Prix this Monday in Jerez. Honda had brought a chassis Kalex that alone Stefan bradl rolled under the eyes of HRC officials and Santi Hernández, the track engineer of Marc Marquez. A novelty which did not prevent the German test pilot from ending up on the ground, but without major consequences.
On the other hand Joan mir sported a new aerodynamic package. As Bradl, he made a mistake and seems to have seriously damaged this evolution... The pilot comments: “ we worked for improve our basic configuration and we were able to try a lot of different things like aerodynamics and certain elements to make me more comfortable on the bike. Falling during a test complicates things because you have to change your plans a bit, even if you've done most of the things ". He rode the Kalex chassis, a name that Honda does not want to hear from the mouths of its pilots… “ I can't say much about it because I only drove it for one lap, then an electrical problem stopped me" , said Mir. " Therefore, I really can't pass judgment on this chassis. But it could go in the right direction. However, we need to test this chassis more thoroughly before we can make an accurate judgment."
He concludes : " I think we improved our base, which will help us for the next race. An intense but short test, now we will try to relax a little and come back stronger at Le Mans. We are only at the beginning, only four races with this bike and we have to keep working to improve ". Certainly.
MotoGP Spain J3: classification
Jerez test results April 2023
Credit motogp.com
