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Honda's road out of crisis continues to be a long one, but at the moment it seems to be getting a little less impassable than it was until recently. The Japanese manufacturer's continued commitment seems to have given comforting signs in the recent private test at Mugello, which was considered positive by Joan Mir.
"It was a very productive test, we did quite a few laps and also tried different elements, especially aerodynamics, as well as different engine configurations. Here we will not have what we requested in the tests, we will use a similar package, however, we are working and I think that in a month or two we will take a step forward," the Mallorcan told on Thursday at Montmeló, before talking in more detail about the work done in Tuscany.
"We used a new and better engine configuration that helps us a little bit in making the bike corner, an area where we had lost our way a little bit. On the other hand, however, the power has also changed a little bit and the engineers also have to work on the connection, so it's a matter of putting all the pieces together. We've seen that there can be some positive aspects, but they have to work to be able to take a real step forward in what are our weak points," explained Joan, who was also positively impressed with the new aerodynamic package thought up by Honda: "It's a good package, not a big evolution, but a step forward. I will not use it here, I will probably do it in the next race, because of homologation and other aspects like that."
Having ascertained the goodness of the new parts, however, we need to understand whether their impact is on the times or on the feeling with the RC213V.
"That's a good question, " Mir commented with a laugh, " To go from results to times we have to improve the weak points of the bike, because there were areas where it was going much better, but we lost a lot in what are really our weaknesses. If you could combine the good things we have now with the positive aspects of the past, then we would take a step forward that would be felt quite a bit in terms of lap times."
Although there is still a long way to go, the 2020 MotoGP champion believes Honda is much closer to regaining lost competitiveness.
"Not specifically on this track, but at the level of evolutions yes, " he admitted , "Before I had a feeling inside that we were not working in the right direction, while now I have a good feeling. Honda understood that it was going in the wrong direction with the previous concept and I am 100 percent sure that we are working in the right direction right now, however now we need work and efforts in this direction. This is what Honda needs to do in Japan. I know they are working hard and that is why I believe that in one or two months we will have good updates on our bike."
An encouraging outlook but one that fails to affect the Honda rider's current vision for the future.
"That doesn't change at all. As a rider you always give good information, you give 100 percent and you always want the best because the season is long and even a small thing can completely change our lives. So until then it is very difficult to say what I want to do in the future . I don't know ," Joan confessed, " It's very complex to say whether you want to stay or not when you don't see the pre-seasons. I have been here one year and we are in the same situation we were in last year, if not slightly worse in terms of bike performance. However, the most important thing for me right now is to understand when we will be competitive. When we will get back to good performance and when we will get close to the frontrunners again. Once I understand that I will be able to decide and understand more, because right now I don't know if I can do another year like this one or two more. It would be really difficult."
With the market in great turmoil, however, the 26-year-old may find himself in the position of not being able to wait as long as he needs to for clarity.
"It's a race we would probably have to face, " acknowledged the two-time world champion. " It's true that the market moves very fast, but I'm equally sure that not many riders want to do that in a situation like this.
Automatic Translation by DeepL
