In Qatar, Joan Mir begins the year 2024 a bit like he ended 2023; wrong. Author of a fall in qualifying, the 2020 MotoGP world champion only managed to climb to 17th place, behind Zarco who discovered the bike in such a session, and finished 15th in the Sprint race. However, after more than a year of struggle on the Honda, Mir does not despair, and still finds positive things in this day by setting a very precise objective for the main race.
If we rely solely on the results, Joan Mir's Sprint was ultimately anecdotal, it is true. But in fact, he sees improvement. « In the last part of the race, we were able to run in the low 1'53s and I caught up with the second group, which was pretty good. I was able to overtake and finished the race with a good feeling. Our position is not the best, but there are positives » he confided after Saturday in Qatar.
It's time for the very first @MotoGP Sprint of the season!
Locked in at the #QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/wBAAzlUzsd
- Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) March 9, 2024
Unfortunately, he was never able to maintain the pace for the first five laps, due to a sudden, unexplained loss of performance. “There was something in the first five laps that then disappeared that we need to check because after that I was able to keep my pace. I think tomorrow we will have the opportunity to show what we can really do, by fighting near the top 10 and being there » he added.
Photo: Honda Repsol
This year is absolutely crucial for him. He is undoubtedly the one who plays the biggest this season, because in the event of failure, his career plan will be largely altered. Every weekend, and worse, every session counts for him. It's time to assert yourself and raise the bar in order to continue to shine at the highest level.
Do you think Joan Mir capable of returning among the best, where he was in 2020 but also in 2021? Tell us in the comments!
Here are the MotoGP Sprint results at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Honda Repsol
