Joan Mir’s struggles on the Honda MotoGP machine continued following another difficult outing at the French Grand Prix, which saw the Spaniard retire and caused him to question “how long my body can take this.”
Honda’s struggles at the back of the grid continue despite being provided additional advantages from MotoGP’s new concession system.
In the opening five races of 2024, Mir is yet to finish higher than 12th place and is currently the highest Honda rider in the championship.
The four Honda riders often fight amongst themselves outside the points, as proven by Mir’s team-mate Luca Marini, a regular footnote on the timesheets and a rider still searching for his first point of the campaign.
Mir admitted to Motorsport.com that after outlining Honda’s issues following April’s Jerez test, he’s unsure how long it will take to rectify them.
“We have the same bike we started the season with, we can’t ask for different results,” Mir said.
“We are suffering in specific areas. Every time I go into the box I complain about the same thing, we all know that, now it’s time for a reaction.
“In the Jerez test they understood the path we have shown them and now we have to wait for these people to bring something in that direction, I don’t know how long [it will take] to start to see changes in that direction. That’s the reality.”
Mir is now in his sophomore year with the manufacturer and his Honda tenure has been littered with multiple crashes as the 2020 World Champion has had to constantly ride on the limit with little to gain from it.
As a result, Mir fears that Honda’s uncompetitive bike is taking its toll on his body, but he couldn’t reveal how long he can wait for the bike to improve.
“I have no idea, I say that and I am completely honest. I have no idea how long my body can take this,” he said.
“I thought I wasn’t going to make it this far, and here I am. I’m trying to do my job as best I can, trying to be in front of everyone, trying to do good races, but you can’t expect miracles.”
Whilst Mir is well aware that he and countless riders before him (Jorge Lorenzo, Pol Espargaro, Alex Rins) have all come off worse for wear after a stint at Honda, he believes a competitive package can turn his and Honda’s fortunes around.
“The reality is that whoever leaves Honda in the last few years does worse than when they come in,” he said.
“That’s the reality and, besides, there is no exception, nobody leaves Honda better than they came in. You have to deal with this situation as best you can and try to see what I feel like doing. That is the issue.
“I am convinced that we will have options, not the ones I would like, probably not, but we will have options. We are still giving gas and I am convinced that with a competitive bike we will be at the front in no time.”
Despite the bike struggling further behind its competitors in 2024, the 26-year-old believes he is more adjusted to the situation he’s in and that his performances on track back that up.
“I’m calm, last year I would say that this situation was a little bit too much for me and I wasn’t performing at the level I could,” he said. “Now this bike is a lot worse than last year’s and I’ve been riding faster.
“I’m in a better moment, I feel good physically and I see that the limitation is not me. On the contrary, last year I was hesitating and I wasn’t performing at the level expected of me.”
