MotoGP | Mir: “In Austria we understood how far we are”

At the Red Bull Ring, the gold-winged brand distributed different engine configurations among its five drivers – the four regulars were joined by the tried and tested Stefan Bradl – with which it tried to understand a little better the direction in which to focus in the short and medium term future.

The long term seems to have been understood if we look at the decision to change the direction of rotation of the engine during the season. But now the work of configuration and fine-tuning, which is normally done during the pre-season, is missing. Considering the margin that the winner of the last round, last Sunday in Spielberg, took over the first Honda to cross the finish line, one tends to think that the work that awaits the Tokyo manufacturer is a climb up Everest.

The first Honda rider to complete the 28 laps was Takaaki Nakagami, who did so in 14th place and 36.3 seconds behind winner Pecco Bagnaia. Joan Mir, 17th, was already more than 40 seconds behind the Italian, while Johann Zarco (21st) and Bradl (22nd) closed the standings, both more than 54 seconds behind the reigning champion. For Mir, there is no better mirror of reality than Sunday’s timesheets, as stark as they may seem.

“It was a total challenge to finish the race. I always try to be optimistic, but in Austria we understood how far we are. This is the reality. The race was difficult for me too, imagine the spectators,” said the Spaniard, who will ride at Misano on Wednesday, a private test day that Honda will share with Yamaha.

The 2020 World Champion was able to see for himself the gulf that currently exists between the Desmosedici and the RC213V. “It’s incredible the work that Ducati is doing and the level of the bike at the moment,” said the Spaniard, who was on track with Bagnaia during the Warm-Up, on a track where the Borgo Panigale prototype makes the difference like no other.

“This Sunday I was behind Pecco and from the exit of the third turn to the fourth, on that straight, he was three or four tenths faster than me. And there you just have to lift the bike, open the throttle and let the electronics and the anti-wheelie work”, said the number 36, satisfied with the performance and Honda’s commitment, but aware of the path that awaits the Tokyo giant to return to fighting for a victory.

“Ducati has a spectacular engine, and they have understood how to get those horses to the ground. In fact, our top speed is not bad for how bad our acceleration is,” Mir concluded.