Joan Mir still can't believe it. This French Grand Prix with its daunting track conditions caused by devilish weather put the drivers' nerves to the test. And this was seen during certain scenes played. Thus, Fabio Quartararo did not stop in the right place at his stand and missed taking his teammate's motorcycle during the flag to flag. But Joan Mir did better: he showed up at his box without his motorbike to take second…
Joan mir had declared before the race that a competition under the flag to flag regime would be of great interest to gain experience. An ambition fulfilled beyond all his hopes, but, alas, completely at his expense.
Indeed, when the apocalypse befell the Bugatti, the World Champion was unable to avoid a fall. He ran back to his box to take his second GSX-RR, but to do that, he had to bring the first one back... The abandonment was therefore at the end of the sprint: “ I am very disappointed. I didn't expect this fall, it was completely unpredictable », sighed Joan mir at Le Mans on Sunday. “ There was a lot of water on the track and we were on slicks. I didn't push, I just rolled towards the pits. It's so unpredictable. I don't even know if I fell off the front wheel or the back, my bike just slid ».
He adds : " I made a mistake with the adrenaline and everything. I saw that the engine was no longer running and I ran to the pits in vain.. I have to learn from this experience. Because I knew I should have brought the bike back to start the race again. But it was a little damaged. I made a mistake, so I apologize to the team », added the factory driver Suzuki. " This is something I cannot repeat. It's clear ».
For last year's World Champion, it was the first flag to flag race, but it was also the case for bagnaia, who finished fourth: “ I like it, but it's different “, he said despite everything. “ It is true that there are more risks involved. Because we were on the trail with a lot of water. And above all, these races are always a little unfair. Because the guys in front have less water on the track than the guys who have to catch up. You have to be intelligent like Fabio Quartararo did. He started from pole, his pace wasn't very good, but because he was ahead of the others and so on, he got on the podium. We need to be in a better position at the start, especially in races like this ».
Joan Mir: “It’s normal to make mistakes, if there’s just one, that’s fine”
Weather reports had already predicted that this scenario could happen at Le Mans. But Mir comments: “ the weather here is so unpredictable. It's always a special weekend and we know it. I was suddenly in the water with slick tires. It was so hard to control. I was actually behind Zarco and I was like, "Okay, don't overtake, stay there." » I even lost a few places on the lap because I didn't want to fall ».
The pilot of 23 years old was also still able to draw positive things from this French Grand Prix : " my start was good, my first laps were good, I was able to overtake and advance in dry conditions. I'm happy with it, the feeling was really good ". Which only accentuates his disappointment: “ It’s a shame because I felt really good. We had very good potential in dry conditions, even in the rain. The warm-up was really positive. That's why I expected to be up front with the guys. But it's the race ».
A glance at the table General classification makes it appear with 31 points behind the leader after five races. “ It wasn't my plan. But it's normal to make mistakes in a few races in a championship fight. If you only do one, that's actually pretty good. And it's important not to repeat mistakes ", ended Joan mir who would therefore have played his only joker.
MotoGP France Le Mans J3: classification
Credit classification motogp.com
