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Joan Mir's 5th place in qualifying in Valencia is good news for many reasons. Not only because the Spaniard from Suzuki does not have his strong point in the flying lap, but also because his direct rivals in the standings will all start behind him (except for his teammate Rins). Good news for Joan who has all eyes on him as he leads the World Championship.
A difficult position on paper, but not for the man who seems to be able to always keep a cool head.
"I'm the one who has the most to lose because I'm ahead in the World Championship, it's normal that this is the case, but you have to learn to stay in this position - he explains - The important thing is not to think about it too much, because there are still 3 races left and if they go wrong I could finish the year out of the top 5. Basically it's like I haven't done anything yet, I have to focus only on myself and then wait for the last GP to see where I will be ”.
A strategy is practically impossible with still so many riders mathematically in the hunt...
"There are 6 of us, you can't think of the others - he continues - It's not an easy situation to fight for the title, but that's our job".
Mir is very honest and down to earth on this point…
"Nobody can teach you how to manage this situation, there is no manual - he emphasized - It is something you have to feel inside and then improvise. There are a lot of fast riders, but there aren't as many mentally strong as I am. You can't train to be that, it's something connected to your life, when I need to show this mental strength I usually can. That's how it is ”.
The Spaniard seems to be able to see things with the right focus...
“It seems I can feel less pressure than my rivals but, let's be honest, there are types of pressure much worse than this. Like what many people hear in recent months when facing Covid - he says - I am fighting for the title in MotoGP, I will be able to win it or not but it will have gone well anyway. Let's be clear, it's a dream I've been chasing all my life, but there are a lot of people in worse situations than mine ".
Will your experience in Moto3 help you?
"I think it was a very different situation, in that case only I could lose the title, so I had more pressure. Now things are different, if I don't manage to win it this year I will have many more years to try again. Tomorrow the only important thing will be the race, not the championship ".
On that point, however, Mir has several doubts because it could be run in dry conditions, a condition in which he has not lapped in these two days in Valencia.
“From a certain point of view it will be a lottery - he says - It is not only the rider who makes the difference, but also the set-up. Sometimes you go out on the track with a set-up and everything is fine right away, other times you have to work to make the bike work. Of course the KTM and Ducati riders will have a big advantage tomorrow, because their test riders have been testing here recently”.
However, Mir has a clear goal in his head…
"Each race is more important than the previous one and the only thing to do is get on the podium. If I do that, there may be some of my rivals with me, but not all of them. For the rest I can only hope to be lucky with the set-up, tonight I will pray” he concluded with a smile.
