Joan Mir, the MotoGP champion in 2020, openly criticized Honda’s performance after a disastrous display in Le Mans, highlighting the ongoing issues with the Honda RC213V. The Spanish Grand Prix weekend saw Honda continue to struggle, with Johann Zarco only managing a 15th place in Q1, marking the best result for Honda riders who have largely been at the bottom of the time sheets.
Fans have become accustomed to seeing Honda riders fall behind, a trend that Mir believes will persist without significant updates from the manufacturer. “Unfortunately, there is nothing new to say. Until we have new parts, not much will change,” said Mir, expressing his frustration with the current state of affairs.
Mir pointed out that the current RC213V has even lost the few advantages it had over last year’s model, particularly in “stop-and-go” corners, where they used to maintain a competitive pace. “We have lost one of our few qualities. Last year, we could keep a good pace coming out of tight corners. Now, even that advantage has disappeared,” lamented Mir.
Despite being in better physical condition this year, Mir feels that the main limitation is now the bike and not the rider. “This bike is performing much worse than last year’s and I have been faster this year,” he commented, highlighting the paradox of improving personal performance while the machine falls behind.
Alors que la “silly season” du MotoGP s’intensifie, avec les pilotes négociant des contrats pour l’année prochaine, Mir explore des changements potentiels loin de Honda. Mir est conscient que ses récentes performances pourraient avoir un impact négatif sur sa capacité à garantir un contrat compétitif, mais il reste confiant que, avec une moto performante, il peut rapidement revenir en tête du peloton.
En regardant vers l’avenir, Mir est prudemment optimiste quant aux prochains tests au Circuit de Mugello, bien qu’il admette une certaine incertitude quant à ce que Honda apportera en termes de nouvelles pièces ou d’améliorations. “Nous avons un nouveau test en Italie, mais je ne sais pas ce que nous allons tester là-bas. Nous devons aussi laisser du temps aux nouvelles personnes chez Honda pour s’adapter. Mais je dois admettre que, jusqu’à présent, je n’ai ressenti aucune amélioration”, a conclu Mir, espérant des changements significatifs tout en modérant ses attentes.
