A week after regaining his smile in Brno, Joan Mir has plunged back into self-doubt. Fifth in the Czech Republic, his best result of the season, the 2020 MotoGP world champion hoped he had finally found a solid foundation with Honda. But the Dutch Grand Prix brutally shattered that momentum: two crashes, no points, and, above all, no real explanation. Joan Mir went from hope… to despair.
In Brno, Mir had regained his form. His fifth place suggested that Honda He was finally beginning to make progress and the Spaniard could look ahead. AssenEverything collapsed. On Saturday, his race Sprint It stopped on the first lap. On Sunday, the scenario repeated itself. Two retirements in two races.
Si Mir accepts responsibility for his fall from SprintHe admits to being completely helpless in the face of the Grand Prix challenge. Yesterday, I knew why I had fallen. Today, I don't know. I don't know why."It is precisely this uncertainty that worries him." When You don't understand why you fallIt becomes very difficult to prevent this from happening again. »
A confession that speaks volumes about the current climate at HondaOver the seasons, Joan mir has become one of the riders with the most crashes in MotoGP. AssenHe acknowledges that the challenge is no longer solely technical. It is also psychological.
« For my mental health, it's important not to think about it too much.The Majorcan explains that he now prefers to return home, completely disconnect from competition, and try to regain some peace of mind before the SachsenringBecause by accumulating misunderstood failures, confidence inevitably ends up eroding.
A capable Honda… but unpredictable, explains Joan Mir
Mir Nevertheless, he remains convinced that speed is definitely present. We are fastAccording to him, without this latest fall, he had the necessary rhythm to fight with Alex Marquez, Enea BastianiniOr Marc Marquez at the end of the race. The real problem is therefore no longer pure performance. It's the impossibility of reproducing it consistently. What we've been lacking for a long time is consistency on difficult circuits »
Since his world title in 2020, Joan mir never regained the stability that was its strength at SuzukiThe disappearance of the Japanese manufacturer, then its arrival at Hondaplunged him into a succession of seasons marked by injuries, technical difficulties and withdrawals. Assen This is yet another illustration of that.
Even more than the two zeros in the championship standings, it's his words that are striking. When a rider explains that he crashes "without knowing why," it's no longer just a problem with the setup. It's a problem of confidence.
And that is undoubtedly the most difficult challenge for a world champion to overcome. MotoGP who still knows how to go fast, but who now seeks to regain a certainty that has become rare: that of being able to finish a Grand Prix.
