The second season with the official Repsol Honda team did not start as the Mallorcan rider imagined, who was hoping for a reaction from the Japanese manufacturer in the development of his MotoGP prototype.
On Sunday, on the occasion of the third stage of the calendar, Joan Mir managed to complete only eight laps of the 20 planned when he crashed, for the fourth time this season and the first in a long race, which prevented him from scoring points.
“I had a terrible start, and if you start from the back of the grid it's even worse. I was making up positions, until I lost the rear at turn 6”, this is how the 2020 world champion summed up his performance at COTA.
Mir is 17th in the general classification, after 13th in Qatar and 12th place in Portimao, with a haul of seven points. However, the rider is focused on the development of HRC's RC213V.
“Honda is working on the engine. It's exasperating. If you want to do more, you fall. You push hard, push to the limit, but then the bike stops. Every time I try to push, I fall,” complained Mir, who on Saturday also fell on the third lap in the Sprint. “I'm applying intensity, I'm trying to go fast, but the bike says enough. There's no margin,” he said.
Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team
Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
After a very difficult weekend for Honda, which saw all four of its riders consistently at the bottom of the timesheets in all sessions, Mir is focusing on the official test which will take place on the Monday after the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez , in two weeks.
“We have a test. We are putting a lot of pressure on the Japanese. I am confident that we will make progress in Montmelò,” he said. “If what we bring to Jerez doesn't work either, we will have to make a drastic decision and completely change direction,” says the Spaniard.
“We must not waste any more time. The tests that have been done so far have not been of much use,” warns the engineers in Tokyo.
After the first three Grands Prix of the 2024 season, Honda is at the bottom of the constructors' standings with just eight points, while the Repsol and LCR teams, both with Japanese bikes, close the general team standings with seven points each, 102 points behind official Ducati team.
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