"We didn't pay for the electricity, the whole budget is for the bike" Joan Mir joked about the lights off in the Honda hospitality but, as soon as he thought back to the sprint race just concluded in Barcelona, his smile disappeared. He finished last, this was the result of the short race. There is no need to add anything else and even the Majorcan struggles to find the words
“Honestly, it's difficult for me to talk about the race because I had the worst sensations of my life on a bike, something incredible - he outspread his arms - I was losing in acceleration even compared to the other Hondas, I have to understand what happened. I know we don't have much grip at this track, there are a lot of corners which highlight our weak points, and I tried to survive, but I wasn't able to control so much sliding. I opened the gas and didn't make any headway, in the last corner I was 2 or 3 tenths slower than the other Hondas".
Don't you have an explanation?
“It's a moment in which I need answers, to understand what happened, because we all know how to open the throttle on the straight. Then there's braking and corner entry, where we're strong, but what happened today in the race is unacceptable."
Wasn't it possible to do more?
“If you listen to my words, you understand what happened: I entered the corner together with the other riders, but when I accelerated I stayed stationary. I don't know what more I could have done. The only thing that makes me proud is that I was able to keep a very constant pace throughout the race, it means that I'm focused, that I could do more. I tried to face this weekend with a positive attitude in dealing with this situation, but another thing is to have patience".
In the garage are you free to modify your bike as you wish?
“I can't do what I want because I'm a rider, I give my comments and I don't know what the technicians do, it's their job to find a solution and understand what I need to express my talent. Every rider has different qualities, but if they don't let me use mine, then the situation is critical."
Is the situation getting worse day by day?
“It's not like that, I'm more confident for tomorrow. We must understand, it's not normal for me to fight for certain positions. I'd like to see the guys in the garage later to try and improve the situation for tomorrow, that's what we can do. I know how to ride, but I need results."