This Sunday August 8, 2021, Joan mir answered questions from journalists from the Red Bull Ring circuit, at the end of the Styrian Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Spanish driver, second in the race after leading a great fight against Jorge Martín.
As usual, we report here the words of Joan mir without the slightest formatting.
Joan, you were very strong all weekend, but not enough to get the victory. But you must still be very happy with the way this second part of the season has started…
" I I'm very happy, it's really an important podium, especially because the team in Japan worked very hard. And in the end to be able to fight for victory and get this podium here in Austria is really good for the team. So I am very happy and very proud of them. In terms of the race, I tried to give my best all day here, but the least we can say is that Jorge Martin was stronger than us today. »
" At At the beginning I was able to stay with him, and I was very comfortable. Subsequently I scared myself several times by going wide when braking, and I lost all chances of victory in about two laps. So I was close to victory today, but it wasn't enough. We have to continue to learn and improve the bike, but also my riding and the package as a whole. We will try to be even stronger to be able to fight for victory next weekend. »
Suzuki used the ride height device this weekend and it seemed to work quite quickly. So are you confident of being able to find those last tenths that you are missing to be able to play for victory?
" I I can't say that this device is an advantage over the others. This simply allows you to start under the same conditions as the others. We still need to make progress on this device, because it is still only the first prototype in this area and there is room for improvement. We will continue to progress the bike with the second version that we will bring on this subject. »
" That Others have been using this device for a long time, so we still need more information. But today we have reached a good milestone at this level. We didn't expect to use it all weekend because in Japan they weren't able to do much testing due to lack of time. In my mind I therefore had to cover as many laps as possible to provide the team with as much information as possible. But I'm happy that in the end this device works well. »
“I didn't expect to use the ride height device all weekend”
What is your opinion on Jorge Martin? On the pilot, but also on its possibilities in the future?
" I think Jorge's talent is very high, we all know that. I'm not sure he'll be faster in the future, but I think he'll be more consistent, because as he said himself: When you're fighting for pole position, it's because you don't have many time gains left to hope for! On the other hand, I think he will be able to be faster in each race. This is what should happen in the end. In Qatar we saw that he immediately adapted very well to Ducati and MotoGP. But the most difficult thing going forward will be to maintain this level of performance. »
Last year, during the second race in Austria, we saw quite different results from those observed during the first. Do you think the same thing will happen again next Sunday?
" I I think last year we saw several drivers at the front who we weren't expecting in the second race. I think that's going to be the case again this time because the race has a lot of laps, and that tends to put everyone on an equal footing. I think the hierarchy will indeed tighten. »
“I think the hierarchy will tighten up during the second race”
How important is this second place for you in the championship?
" It is always something important than finishing on the podium. In the first part of the season it seemed like we couldn't hope for anything better than a podium place, but this time I was close to victory, and that's the most positive thing , much more than the final result. Our performance level has increased, and that's the most important thing. »
This weekend we saw three red flags for three contested races. Should we conclude that this circuit is too dangerous for MotoGP, and that we should consider changing its route?
"The turn 3 is very critical, it's very dangerous especially in the wet. But what's also dangerous is turn 1, because when you come out of that turn you find yourself on a promontory and then you have a resource, and if something happens there you can't see it . Last year we were able to observe a big accident there, and today luckily nothing serious happened to Lorenzo Savadori. Ultimately it is true that this circuit is very critical in terms of safety. »
“This circuit is very critical in terms of safety”
Do you think you could have fought for victory today without the ride height device?
" I do not think. Here in Austria, it would have been very difficult to achieve the same level of performance without riding with this device. »
At the end of the race, was using the ride height device more natural for you, or did you still have to think about the best way to use it?
" I have drove all day Friday to make sure it became automatic in my mind. But what really helped me was seeing that with this device I was getting much better acceleration. If you don't win anything with a system, you forget about it, but if it gives you winnings, it's very easy to assimilate it. »
Has the ride height device given you new sensations with the tires?
" It is something we still need to analyze. This is the first time we have raced with this device. So it was important for me to take part in the race with him to gather a lot of information. Maybe I did indeed feel more degradation at the end of the race, but I'm not sure. We still need to analyze this. »
Styrian MotoGP Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring: Results
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
