The new official Honda rider concluded the third day of pre-season work with 45 laps to go and a best time of 1’58″784, the 12th fastest of the day, 0″895 from the best reference established by Luca Marini on the Mooney VR46 Ducati GP22.
The Majorcan continues to gain confidence with the RC213V and in this sense he is happy to have made progress in what he considers to be the right direction.
“I learned a lot and started riding as Honda asks me,” said Joan Mir at the end of the day. “And I enjoyed it. When you have fun, everything is easier. But we’re still a long way from Ducati and Aprilia,” added the 2020 world champion.
As well as settling into the new team and adjusting to the new bike, Mir also has to help navigate the demands of the 2023 RC213V, a bike that looks quite difficult.
“I used two different frames. I did the time with the new frame, and that’s okay. It seems to ride a little better. We have a traction problem, which is the aspect we lose the most. And I think this can be resolved with a combination of factors,” he said.
Mir is focused on his day job, but is eager to contribute his experience and knowledge to the development of the bike.
“I’m happy with the way Honda works; there are a lot more people who listen to you than Suzuki,” he surprised.
Logic would have it that Mir would turn to his experienced teammate Marc Marquez to help him adjust to the new bike, but the Spaniard has his own plans.
“You always look at your teammate to find out where the bike is. But now I look more at the Ducati than at Marc. If the two of us get closer, so much the better. If you’re doing well, it’s worth looking at where the other riders are Ducati, but now we’re far from the top and our priority is to get closer”, was his reasoning.
12th place is not a result to be celebrated for a world champion, but the circumstances dictate it.
“If the bike had worked a little better, I would have been a little higher up in the standings. We came here without any references”, he recalled, before assuring: “I have room for improvement, but we are still a long way off, especially on the dry lap”.
Activity on the track now comes to a halt until 11-12 March, when the riders will be back in the saddle for pre-season testing at Portimao.
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