For several weeks, Joan Mir has not hidden having started thinking about her future. Arriving at Honda last year after the unexpected departure of Suzuki, the Spanish rider is experiencing very trying times at the helm of a motorcycle which must now go back downhill, so much so that he momentarily considered stopping everything in the current of last season.
Although he claims to be doing better today, success is still not there and Mir still does not feature much at the finish of the races. At Mugello he crashed again during the Grand Prix after having already retired in the sprint due to vibrations which made his bike difficult to control. Also, when he was once again asked about his future on Monday, on the sidelines of the post-race test, Mir conceded that he would soon have to clarify what he wants for the future.
“In Assen, I will probably have to have clearer ideas about what I want to do,” he said, referring to the next Grand Prix, which will take place at the end of June. However, he assures that he wants to take the time to think about it by comparing all of his possibilities. “I need to have all options on the table to make a decision instead of saying I know perfectly well where I want to go. That’s not the case for me right now, I don’t know where I want to go. I’ll wait until I have all the offers on the table and then I’ll decide which one to choose.”
“Four or five drivers have priority”
World champion in 2020 after a rapid rise, Joan Mir is very realistic about his value on the market and estimates going after around five drivers who, at this stage, act as first choices for manufacturers.
“No one leaves Honda better than they arrived there,” underlined the 26-year-old Majorcan pilot. “When I arrived at Honda, I had a lot of offers. I could have gone wherever I wanted at the time. And today, that’s not the case. I have to wait for other riders, which have priority at the moment.”
“I have to show [ce que je vaux aux constructeurs], it is reality. No matter what I may have done in the past, it is others who get the results now. Four or five drivers have priority, and I am behind. I’m behind those five, probably no further.”
Alberto Puig understands Joan Mir’s desire for change.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Among the most prominent drivers on the grid, Jorge Martín revealed his future on Monday and official announcements are expected imminently for Marc Márquez and Enea Bastianini. We can assume that Joan Mir also comes after Maverick Viñales, but that his value as a driver places him in the same dynamic of discussions as drivers such as Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Jack Miller.
And if he knows that his world title has value, the Spaniard is also very realistic about the few places available. In terms of factory teams, we can estimate that there is one handlebar left at Aprilia and another at Yamaha. Several satellite teams could also represent a good opportunity for him, with all the brands on the grid.
"I don’t think I’m going to go home," underlined Joan Mir, who says she is not worried about her future but above all seeks to position herself in a more serene context. “If I come out of this difficult situation at Honda… When you start being competitive again, the mindset completely changes. If while doing the same things, you tell yourself that you are where you deserve to be and it corresponds to your qualities, then everything changes and it perhaps makes you want to stay ten more years.”
“But the trick is to get out of this situation,” he insisted. “I talked about it a lot with Marc, about how he felt last year and how he feels now. I had an example between one path that I can follow and another which is to stay in this situation. “
If staying at Honda is also one of the options, the speech that Joan Mir has been giving for several weeks seems to testify, as here, to his visceral need to escape from the situation he has been experiencing since last year in order to rediscover the pleasure steering and performance. The example offered by Marc Márquez has indeed something to make him want, however he promises that he feels good despite everything.
“Mentally it was very difficult for me, especially last year because you have to accept the situation. This season the difference is that the situation is already accepted. So any positive thing that happens is welcome and it’s motivation for the next race, that’s a bit like how I think now. Of course, it’s not the right mentality to win but it’s the right mentality to overcome the situation, I think. . That’s what I’m doing. Mentally, I’m fine, I feel great.”
Also realistic, Alberto Puig understands that his pilot may have desires from elsewhere. “Normally when things don’t work out, a driver is not happy, obviously, and we totally understand that,” admitted team manager Repsol Honda on the official MotoGP website. “But, honestly, we’re all trying to be focused, both him, Luca [Marini] and the whole team, about trying to resolve the issues with the bike, so we haven’t started discussions about a renewal yet [de contrat]. However, sooner or later, probably this summer between June and July, we are going to have to make decisions.”
