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The test at Barcelona was a bit of a muted one for Joan Mir. The Honda rider did not go any better than 15th quickest, picking up a gap of one second and two tenths from the top. Ahead of him was Aleix Espargarò, in his first outing with the Japanese bike in the role of test rider.
The fact remains that Joan's balance sheet at the end of Tuesday leaves a lot of doubts and questions, but above all a touch of disappointment.
"It was a productive day, but I'm not very happy," said the Spaniard, "the fact is that here we had nothing new and what we had to try we had already evaluated beforehand. As said, we didn't have any substantial new things that would allow us to be faster than the traditional package. So I hope that at Jerez we will receive important updates."
Are you disappointed?
"I expected much more from Honda here at Barcelona. In fact, I am surprised about that because we have an important gap to close against the other manufacturers who continue to work hard."
What did you expect?
"Let's say more things."
Are you aware of the reason why what you asked for did not come?
"Time, apparently they couldn't get everything done in time."
Did you get a chance to talk to Aleix Espargarò?
"Aleix tested the standard bike as we did, but as far as I know there was nothing new."
What did he tell you about the Honda?
"He was impressed (smiles). We talked a lot about the bike and even he was surprised by what are our weaknesses. I am referring to the lack of torque, power and acceleration."
That's what impressed him, right?
"Yes! He was impressed with the lack of grip, acceleration and top speed."
How much does the fact that nothing new has arrived affect...?
"We certainly have a lot of work to do, in fact we will be back on track at Jerez at the end of the month. In fact, I hope that news will arrive for that test. The fact is that in Misano we tried an aerodynamics that then worked as well as a new configuration in terms of the engine. Usually, at the Valencia test, Honda always had two or more bikes in the garage. Today, however, it was different."
Was there the new swingarm?
"Actually, it's the same as in testing. It is an innovation that allows us to corner better, but we need one more step forward. So we are waiting for the Jerez test."
