After the crash with which he ended his Sprint, Joan Mir was ready to give Honda a good result in the Japanese giant's home GP. Instead, all the Mallorcan's good intentions foundered right at the start of the race, due to a crash with Alex Marquez that forced him into his fourth consecutive retirement. A contact that did not go already to Joan, infuriated as much with his compatriot as with Race Direction, guilty of not taking any action against the Gresini rider.
"It is normal that he is angry, because it is not the first time this kind of thing has happened with him. It was a similar action to the one with Bagnaia in Aragon. Not exactly the same because Pecco was trying to pass him, while I was clearly in front, but his bike got stuck in the same spot as the incident with Pecco. It's crazy," the 27-year-old said at the end of the race, recounting the dynamics of the accident: "He went wide and I took the opportunity to pass him, then he changed direction and, when I was in the middle of Turn 12, he hit me violently behind and his bike got stuck between the seat and the swingarm of mine, sending me straight into the gravel. It's unbelievable. What happened is crazy! I'm waiting first for some news from Race Direction.... They are probably sleeping or eating something. Then, also an apology, because an apology is necessary when you destroy someone's race."
There used to be penalty points that could be used to punish repeated behavior, such as that of which the younger of the Marquez brothers is accused.
"It's nice that Race Direction didn't put the incident under investigation and did nothing at all ," Mir commented wryly , "I honestly don't understand the way they operate in these cases. They are completely asleep. I don't know what they were thinking in this case."
There is a lot of frustration in the words of the Honda rider, who had a chance to have a good race.
"I was confident. I had made a good start, I was 14th and then I had passed a group of riders who had gone wide in Turn 11 so I was already close to the Top 10. Then I felt this violent contact from behind. What else can I say? - told a dejected Joan - Not because it's Japan, but we tried to have a good weekend and I was able to be much more competitive than in Mandalika. I think the pace I had here was the best we've seen this year, but I couldn't get it all together. Yesterday because of me let's say, while today because of another driver. It went like this."
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