Joan Mir, MotoGP world champion in 2020, has acknowledged that his initial approach this season was a mistake. The Honda rider admits that every time he has tried to push the machine to get a good result, he has ended up on the ground. With four races completed, his best result is a seventh in the Thailand Sprint and a fifteenth in the long race at Jerez. He is now betting on a more conservative approach.
The RC213V demands patience and precise riding 🏍️
The Honda RC213V remains a difficult bike to tame. Its nervous character when entering corners and lack of traction on exit punish any overconfidence. Mir has found that pushing the limit only leads to crashes. The prototype's development now focuses on improving braking stability and rear grip. The team is working on new electronics that allow for smoother riding. The key is to find a base that allows consistency without chasing the impossible lap time.
Mir discovers that the asphalt hurts more than the lost tenth 💥
After several hard landings, Mir has had a moment of clarity: maybe it's not worth ending up in the gravel trying to be eleventh instead of thirteenth. The Mallorcan has decided that his new strategy is to finish the race alive, even if he is the last of the mortals. After all, scoring a point hurts less than a broken collarbone. Welcome to the club of riders who prefer asphalt to grass.