You are here

MotoGP, Joan Mir: "Victory hasn’t changed me, I'm still hungry"

"It came at the perfect moment, I couldn't ask for more. Now Rins and I will have to be smart, for the title it’s not yet over"

MotoGP: Joan Mir: "Victory hasn’t changed me, I'm still hungry"

Share


Joan Mir in Valencia removed the final speck of dust from his curriculum, because he was able to update it with the victory he was missing and which has now become a reality. He did the right thing at the right time, on the day of Yamaha's defeat and next Sunday he will have a first mathematical chance of winning the title.

“I don't feel like a different person after this victory - he smiled - As you can imagine I'm very happy, but still the same and still hungry”.

If there was a day to break this taboo, it was this one…

“I couldn't ask for more - he admitted - I am also happy for Suzuki with this double and for the championship. I can say that it was the best weekend of the whole season, I was competitive in all conditions, I struggled a bit on Friday but then the team did a good job and the bike was perfect today. I realized in the warm-up that today could have been the right day to win ”.

For Joan, however, it was never an obsession…

"I knew it was only a matter of time - he went on - It could have come earlier, without the red flag in Austria, but when I had the chance I took advantage of it. It wasn't easy, because you always have to find the best compromise between speed and risk ”.

In addition to the result, the Spaniard showed an enviable maturity.

“I showed that the pressure is not a big problem for me - he confirmed - I have to continue like this, and not allow the pressure to become something negative. Last year I paid for a lack of experience, as has always happened to me on my debut in a category: I'm too aggressive, I do more than I can and so I make mistakes. Now I am more competitive, I have understood how to ride a MotoGP bike in a more gentle way”.

With 50 points left to be assigned, Mir has a 37-point advantage over Quartararo and Rins.

“Now above all we need to be intelligent, because I have a good advantage but it is not over yet - he warned - We need to manage it well and this race will be crucial. The bike is fine, I'm in an excellent position, so if I have the chance to win next week I'll try, otherwise I'll give it my all. "

Today he fought it out with his teammate and it could happen again. Davide Brivio was wearing a heart rate monitor and his pulse was shown on live TV…

“How high was it? Only 130? Then we still have about sixty to make him suffer more - Joan joked - I think Alex and I now have to be smarter than ever, I'm fighting for the title and he's still in the running. Making mistakes is not what we need, neither he nor I nor Suzuki. It's something we have to take into account and I think Alex will do it because he has always been clean and respectful on the track ”.

Then Mir answered a tricky question: Would he help Rins to get second place in the championship at Portimao if he were to win the title next week?

At first he hesitated, then he replied: “if Suzuki asked me, I would”.

Today, however, there were no team orders and he left his teammate with no chance.

"Alex kept a good pace, I lost a lot in acceleration out of the second corner, but I recovered from the other side - said Joan - It was important to have a soft tyre on the front, because the medium heats up much more when you follow another rider. However, I knew I had two or three tenths more than him on the pace and when I passed him I took advantage of them. In the last two laps I just made sure not to crash, to be gentle with the brakes. They lasted longer than I wanted to,” he laughed.

The only negative is that Mir will not be able to celebrate the victory properly…

“We must be responsible at this moment - he warned - I'll go home and have a nice dinner, I'll postpone the party, because a season like this deserves it in any case, however it ends. We must be careful of Covid, as I said I will return home, by car. My girlfriend had a swab and she is negative, it seems to me the safest option. Also because in the morning I always have a lot of energy and I have to train, I don't know how I would do it in the paddock ”.

 

Related articles