At the end of the end of season Test organized this Tuesday on the Barcelona circuit, Joan Mir was rather critical of Honda, not being satisfied with the work carried out by the brand ahead of this day. During this Official Test, the Spaniard had the opportunity to speak with Aleix Espargaró, who was trying this machine for the first time. He was thus able to rub salt in the wound.
Like Takaaki Nakagami, Aleix Espargaró will retire from the circuits next year to take up a role as a test rider with Honda. Unlike the Japanese, the former Aprilia rider had not yet driven the RC213V before last Tuesday.
A machine undoubtedly more capricious than the RS-GP, which had the effect of surprising him on a few occasions. That's at least what Joan Mir suggested by relaying the exchange he had with the Catalan during a frustrating day, during which the 2020 world champion regretted the lack of new parts sent by the brand .
“He tried our base. But as far as I know, nothing new has been tested, begins the Team Repsol Honda rider. He was impressed. He'll talk a little about that, but it's true that he mentioned the things we say all the time. The lack of torque of this bike, the lack of power, of grip. The things you don't complain about too much, he didn't complain too much about either. »
“For the turning, he said it was more or less ok. The geometry of the bike didn't bother him either. In reality, she's not bad. But the lack of grip when accelerating, and the top speed we have… He was impressed” jokes Joan Mir again, laughing nervously.
Before insisting a little more on the disappointment that was his Tuesday evening. “ The highlights this year were the Misano Test, where we received aero improvements and tested different engine configurations, and Valencia. In this case Barcelona, but the end of season Test is still super important. This is the moment when you can see the difference between two motorcycles. At Honda, at Yamaha, normally you see the new bike and that kind of thing. But that wasn't our case. I just hope we get it soon. »
These comments did not amuse everyone, and Joan Mir was called to order quite quickly by Alberto Puig, the manager of the Japanese team.
