Joan Mir failed in his stated goal of getting on the podium during a Spanish Grand Prix during which he saw the Honda of Nakagami and the Yamaha of Morbidelli bar his way to the leading trio. The World Champion is not unhappy, however, with an expedition to Jerez which now puts him fourth in the general classification, 17 points behind the new leader Bagnaia on Ducati. And for good reason, last year, his situation was much worse and we know how it ended…
Joan mir recognizes this in his analysis after the Spanish meeting which was the fourth of the season MotoGP : he couldn't hope for better. And for two things: firstly because of his starting position, tenth on the grid, and then his choice of soft tire at the front. He explained these two elements and their consequences upon arrival.
The official Suzuki first recalls the recurring weakness of its GSX-RR: “ you always expect more because we made progress this weekend and I found a good feeling on the bike. Especially in the racing version, I was strong there. What happened in the race here in Jerez probably happened to all of us, but probably more to the Yamaha and the Suzuki. Because we don't have the power to overtake. When you're half a second behind someone, it's like hitting a wall. You cannot stop the motorcycle, the front tire is overheating ...You could have a little more, but you can't. And it's a little frustrating. But it's not the first time something like this happens in Jerez, especially in the heat, you see these problems more oftenyou”.
The reigning champion, who started from the fourth row on the grid, knows it: “ we need to improve qualifying because I'm 100% sure I could have improved my lap time if I didn't have someone in front of me. That's what Jack Miller did. Maybe he didn't have better pace than us, but he was very smart and just did a great job ».
Joan Mir wants to know more about the medium tire
He ends his demonstration by asserting this truth: “ to make a difference, you have to move forward and have a clear path to try to escape ". That being said, he comes back to the choice of the soft tire at the front. He was the only one to favor this rubber with Casa Particular in Viñales : " we opted for the soft tire. I just didn't have the feeling with the medium he says. " It wasn't a bad decision. But we don't want to make excuses now ».
But in the test this Monday Mir wants to take a closer look at this medium front tire. “ We don't have many things to test, but a few that might be good. I would like to do more laps with the medium to understand the tire better. Then we have some ideas for the future to improve the bike, especially with Le Mans because the track is always difficult for us. Maybe we can work a little for Le Mans and all the other races that follow. So nothing special, but just things we want to try ».
MotoGP Spain J3: classification
Credit classification motogp.com
