It is with 10 small points and following two blank weekends that Joan mir presented himself at the Grand Prix MotoGP from Spain to Jerez, fifth round of the championship.
Before arriving in Andalusia, the Honda HRC Castrol rider had fallen three times in the USA, including once in a race, and then suffered from gastroenteritis in Qatar, preventing him from participating in the Sprint. So, after two weekends to forget, the Majorcan, who is 16th in the general classification, intended to put an end to this period and, on the contrary, take advantage of the current positive trend of Honda, demonstrated by Johann zarco and in a lesser extent Luca marini.
And indeed, on a well-known circuit without a long straight, the Honda immediately proved to be efficient, Joan Mir even allowing himself the luxury of finally leading the troops from Tokyo, 5th ahead Johann zarco 8e.
The afternoon practice was eventful to say the least, first interrupted by the fall ofAlex Marquez, then increasing in intensity to end with a final quarter of an hour mixed with falls, yellow flags and changes of command.
For Joan mir, at the forefront at the start of the session and completing the top 10 at the start of the last quarter of an hour, it was finally a fall at turn #6 which concluded his session after having avoided the yellow flags, but the number 36 nevertheless managed to preserve his direct passage into Q2, as he had already done in Thailand and Texas, with a time of 1'36.686, 0.695s behind the new circuit record holder, Alex Marquez.
But no matter, the 2020 MotoGP world champion only wants to see the glass half full, and, in view of the multiple incidents at the end of practice, even gets carried away to the point of stating "Today, being tenth or first is the same thing."
Everyone will be the judge of the veracity of this statement, starting with Alex Marquez...
Joan mir : “The feeling was really good today, and I think this tenth place doesn't reflect our potential. We were strong in both sessions, at the top in race pace, then when you put the new tires on with the yellow flags – anything and everything can happen! It was difficult to find a clear track and with the soft tire, you don't have many opportunities. But even so, our lap wasn't bad, and we have to be happy with what we did. Today, being tenth or first is the same. Now we are preparing for Q2, because if we qualify well, we can be with the group closest to the front.”
Results of the 2025 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix Practice in Jerez:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
MotoGP Jerez Joan Mir