Honda is taking good steps forward and Joan Mir seems to be enjoying the bike, but will that be enough for him to immediately decide to stay with the Japanese manufacturer? See the words of the former world champion before the start of the last test of the season in Qatar.
‘This test is important for us, we have to reconfirm many things. We won’t try everything we tried in Sepang, but we will probably check again the things that worked. Then, I believe we have some new things to try in the direction we asked for, I don’t know at the moment, but I hope so, because that’s what they told us in Sepang. At the beginning, we will try to work on that and I hope tomorrow there will be a little less wind and we can test properly, otherwise it will be difficult. We have to try to be more competitive and see if our feelings are as good as in Sepang. Losail is not the best track for us, so if we are more or less close to Sepang in terms of positions and lap time, I will be very satisfied,’ the rider told the press before the start of the tests at the circuit where the world championship will begin next weekend.
He then emphasized how crucial it was to be in Sepang, already benefiting from the concessions: ‘It was very important because of the track, we have many difficulties in Qatar, so being in those lap times made me happy, but we have to keep it up because it’s even worse here.’
Asked to comment on Marc Márquez’s words, who said it is incredible to see how Honda has changed in the last three months, Mir said: ‘It’s crazy, right? In Valencia the bike was very similar, so they did this in a month and a half or two. They completely changed the concept of the bike and it works, honestly, better in all areas than last year’s bike, but we still have similar problems, it’s faster but the problems are similar’.
And he continued, asking for time to prepare to take full advantage of the Honda: ‘I think the solutions are within the bike because I am the same rider as last year and in Sepang I was much faster, really much faster. It’s not that I forgot how to be competitive, it’s that we need a little time to prepare ourselves. Also in terms of riders, personally, technically, I need a little time. Let’s say that last year I got a little injured, mentally speaking, and I need a little time to recover. I need confidence, laps, confidence, laps and results. I think I can be what I was again. It’s a process for Honda and for myself’.
As for whether he wants to continue with Honda, seeing the work and direction they are taking
– Honestly, I don’t know. It’s true that they made a complete change and for me it’s important to understand if it’s enough or not. I will decide when I feel it. At the moment, I don’t feel it, I don’t know. It’s still too early to talk about it and I just want to have fun racing, racing. If I’m able to enjoy the first part of the year – as much as I did in the Sepang test – then I definitely want to stay, but we have many questions to answer right now.
