Joan Mir started tenth from the starting grid for the Qatar Grand Prix, and, as soon as the lights went out, he did not deviate from his reputation as a racing beast, well armed with a Suzuki that negotiated turns. However, the GSX-RR has a problem with top speed, especially against the Ducati. In a straight line, he went from second to fourth seeing two GP21 missiles pass before the checkered flag. But no matter, he raced as a World Champion…
Joan mir saw the podium up close, but the blast effect of the passage of two Ducati in the straight line of the Losail track pulled him away just before the finish line. However, he is in the game, and he has shown in his rise to the forefront that we will have to count on him and his Suzuki.
This last turn before the finish, Joan mir still has it in mind when taking stock of this first race of the season: “ It’s true that I went a little far. Usually, though, you have more momentum. I saw the finish line, but the gap was simply not enough against these missiles ", said Mir, who had only taken second place on the last lap.
« It wasn't ideal that I overtook Zarco. I should have stayed in his wake to secure third place » he analyzes afterwards. “ But it's the start of the season and I wanted to take a risk. I thought, if I can stay second, that's great. But I couldn't defend myself ».
Joan Mir: “I was angry on Saturday”
Still, the Suzuki remains a formidable weapon: “ my teammate Alex Rins and I managed to fight our way from positions 10 and 9 in the race. It was a difficult weekend. I'm not good at hiding my feelings and I was angry after the Saturday. I didn't manage to set a good time in qualifying and that's important. On the other hand, it looks like I would also feel comfortable on the fourth row of the grid when the race goes like this ».
His race plan worked almost perfectly, as confirmed by the driver of 23 years : " I found my feelings on the bike again, this is the most important observation of this weekend. I didn't want to risk too much at the start and push hard at the end. It was important to manage the tires well. Overall I am very satisfied ».
Of course, he would have been even happier with a podium. But he also said: “ I knew I had two angry Ducatis behind me. It was frustrating how quickly they passed me ". Looking at the top speed chart, Mir took 13th place with 349,5 km/h in qualifying, zarco set a new record in FP4 with 362,4 km/h and bagnaia also came in at 355,2 km/h. These differences were one of the deciding factors in the race MotoGP.
However, with its rise, Mir showed that he could be expected again in 2021. And he also knows: “ we have another chance next week”.
MotoGP Qatar 1 J3: classification
