Joan Mir revealed his sixth-place in Sunday’s Austrian MotoGP race was his “realistic position in the standings” despite previous misfortune.

The Honda rider recorded his best result with the manufacturer since the 2023 Indian GP by taking sixth in Spielberg, showing signs of a potential improvement for both the bike and rider.

Mir admitted he believed his result was “realistic” and said that it was possible because he was able to “ride like I want” though suggested it was the maximum he could take from the weekend.

“Today, we gave 110% in this race,” Mir shared post-race via GPOne.

“Honestly, I’m happy because I think this is my realistic position in the standings. I had seen it since free practice and in qualifying.

“If I can ride like I want, this result is possible. To do more, though, was impossible.”

“Overall though, we have to be satisfied with this result.”

The 2020 World Champion has been vocal about his struggles aboard the RC213V machine, crashing in 58% of the races he has competed with the Japanese manufacturer.

Following the sixth-place finish, Mir said he has “a lot of confidence” ahead of the next few rounds, including at the brand-new Balaton Park circuit in Hungary. 

“I think the last race where I managed to do something like this was in Aragon because, like in the others, I had the potential, but for one reason or another, I never succeeded.

“Definitely, this result gives me a lot of confidence; it’s something I needed, and I’m happy about it.

“I’m sure it’ll help me in facing the next races. Now, let’s enjoy the moment. It means we aren’t so far away after all.”

Joan Mir: ‘Still not enough’ improvement from Honda to become regular MotoGP challenger

Despite the positive result of Austria, Mir played down the idea that Honda had made any significant improvements at the Red Bull Ring. 

The Spaniard recognised the improvements of the Japanese manufacturer, who took a podium and a victory with Johann Zarco earlier in the campaign, but suggested “it’s still not enough” to return to the front regularly.

“It’s still to early to say, it’s true that we are improving,” Mir said.

“We improved at the beginning of the year but during the season then we didn’t improve much. With the package we have we have done what we can, but I think other manufacturers have improved as well.

“KTM has improved, Aorukua at the beginning of the season was lost while now they are always competitive.

“We are improving, but it’s still not enough. We have made small steps, not enough to make a decisive step compared to the others. They are improving faster than us.”

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Joan Mir admitted that he will “go to bed satisfied” after securing his best finish in Honda colours since the 2023 MotoGP season.

The 2020 champion crossed the line in seventh place, finishing as the top Honda rider and delivering his best performance since finishing in fifth in India in 2023.

The Spaniard exclaimed his delight to secure a much-needed result, especially after he was taken out by Jack Miller in the Saturday Sprint race.

“To be honest, I never thought I would be satisfied with seventh place. But today that happened,” he exclaimed to SpeedWeek.

“In the end, it was a really good result. Because we got the most out of what was available. I can say the same about myself.

“I gave 100 per cent. That’s why I’ll go to bed tonight [Sunday] feeling very relaxed and satisfied.”

Joan Mir still sees Honda ‘weaknesses’ that need addressing

Mir admitted that Honda still has a long way to go in its development to catch up with its rivals, pinpointing a key area where the Japanese marque struggles.

“The journey to bring the bike back to the top isn’t over yet,” he said.

“There are areas, like cornering speed, where we’re certainly already fully competitive, but there are still weaknesses – we need to continue improving acceleration and top speed.”

During the race itself, Mir was involved in a battle with riders Fabio Di Giannantonio and Maverick Vinales, riders representing manufacturers that excel where Honda struggles most.

“We’re finally able to ride all the other bikes. I spent time today with Ducati, KTM, and also Yamaha.

“In the three-way battle with Diggia [Fabio Di Giannantonio] and [Maverick] Vinales, it became clear how far behind we still are in terms of acceleration and top speed.

“I’m relieved to be fighting for 7th place with the guys – but the real relief will come when I overtake and don’t get overtaken again on the next straight.”

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Joan Mir confirmed that Honda’s new engine has shown improvements in “all areas” following the MotoGP test at Jerez on Monday morning.

The 2020 champion spent the test experimenting with the engine, a key area where the Japanese marque is lacking compared to its rivals.

“The character is similar to the old specification,” Mir stated post-test to GPOne.

“They have improved all areas a bit, but none stands out more than the others.

“It’s more linear now, so it’s easier to control, and powerful, although this is not the best track in which to evaluate the top speed, but overall a step forward has been made.”

Mir is “happy” with the progress made, but doesn’t want to risk compromising the rest of the RC213V’s strengths if the engine becomes more powerful.

“Any progress is welcome, but we have to be sure of the changes because at the moment we can fight, and the risk is that to make a step forward we go one step backwards.

“All in all, I am happy. Although we still lack a bit to get the level of the Ducati, some improvements have been seen.

“Testing on a track with a longer straight will be crucial to really understand its potential.”

Joan Mir pinpoints the Hondas ‘main problem’

Mir was asked whether the team tested components related to the suspension, but he identified the key areas he sees as Honda’s “main problem.”

“We have tried a couple of things, but they are not the key to our main problem, which is vibration,” Mir revealed.

“The important thing is to understand the reason why sometimes it is more noticeable than in others, and in the meantime, mitigate the discomfort in the short term.

“At present we suffer most when temperatures are high. Do we also suffer when there is little grip? Not exactly, because usually test riders don’t complain about it.

“As for us official riders, we go into crisis when the tyre drops and this is strange since at that stage the grip decreases.”

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Honda rider Joan Mir identified one key area the Japanese marque needs to improve to enhance its competitiveness in MotoGP.

The 2020 champion had a mixed weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, where he earned his best qualifying result since 2023 before crashing out in both the Sprint and Grand Prix races.

Despite finishing the round empty-handed, Mir acknowledged that Hondas lack of straight-line speed hampered any chance of fighting for the high-echelon positions on the grid.

“If we improve – it’s not a little bit, we have to improve a lot – the engine, we will be very close to the top three,” he explained to Crash.net.

“It’s not the only thing [we need] but it’s the biggest issue, especially during the race.

“Because the grip more or less you can handle, you can push a bit more at the beginning. Then you run out of tyre, but you can play a bit.

“But with the engine, every lap you go onto the straight, if you have someone behind, he will overtake you!”

The Spaniard revealed that HRC’s new technical director Romano Albesiano informed him that the marque is actively working on this problem.

“He told me, ‘You are fast’, that they know what the problem is and they are working hard. He said, ‘You have to try stay calm’!”

Joan Mir: ‘I don’t feel that I have the tools to fight’

Mir further explained that he had to recover a half-second advantage over the rest of the lap to avoid fellow countryman Pedro Acosta overtaking him.

“We can take the positives and say we are fast and we made the same lap time as Pecco [Bagnaia], but I don’t feel that I have the tools to fight,” Mir said after the Sprint. “We are amongst the last ones in terms of top speed.

“The crash was my mistake, but you have to risk a bit more than the others. You have to use a bit more front brake, to recover the distance you are losing in top speed.

“The balance with the bike is very good, I’m enjoying riding this bike. But on other hand it’s frustrating.

“It’s frustrating because with Pedro I had to be half a second per lap faster than the rider behind to avoid being overtaken. Like this it’s difficult.”

The 27-year-old admitted that pushing the front tyre under braking resulted in increased front pressure and loss of grip, noting that this wasn’t the first time such issues had occurred.

“Something similar happened in Argentina. The front pressure goes up because I have to risk more with the front,” he said. “So this scenario – we had it before and we will have it again in the future if we don’t improve.”

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Joan Mir believes that Honda has the potential to “be competitive from the start” of the upcoming Argentina MotoGP weekend.

The 2020 MotoGP champion heads into the second round of the 2025 season in an optimistic frame of mind.

Mir crashed out in the Thai season opener but had a strong weekend with the Japanese marque, running in seventh place before his retirement in the second half of the race.

The Spaniard signed a two-year contract extension with Honda for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, as the Japanese outfit has made strides in its efforts to become the former superpower it once was.

“I am looking forward to this race after what we showed last time out in Thailand,” Mir revealed to Crash.net.

“We are capable of a lot and it’s important to get some points on the board and deliver.

“Argentina will be a different weekend to Thailand because we arrive without testing there but we normally have a very strong base, I think that we can be competitive from the start.

“In the past I have had some good results in Argentina, so I think the pieces are there to have a solid weekend and keep our season progressing.”

Luca Marini unfazed by Honda debut in Argentina

Mir’s teammate Luca Marini appears unfazed at the prospect of taking to the Argentine track for the first time in Honda colours.

The Italian missed the 2024 edition due to the cancellation of the race weekend, but he is feeling “optimistic” about his chances of a strong result after finishing 12th in Buriram.

Marini famously produced his first podium at the Sprint race in 2023 aboard the VR46 Ducati, finishing third on the Saturday.

“In Thailand we were able to accomplish a very good weekend overall, so now flying to Argentina I am optimistic we can continue in this way,” he said.

“I don’t think arriving there ‘for the first [time]’ on the Honda will be a problem – the team and I did a lot of work over the off-season to get the base of the bike into a good position so I know that we can start correctly.

“In 2023 I achieved my first Sprint podium in Argentina, and I hope that we can have a positive weekend with the Honda HRC Castrol team.”

The Urbino-born rider revealed he will stay in South America for the Brazilian Grand Prix launch event after the weekend’s events.

“After Argentina, I will go to Brazil for the first time to try the new track we will race at next year – an exciting trip!”

READ MORE – Johann Zarco admits his Thai MotoGP race was ‘better than I expected’

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Joan Mir says he hopes Honda “has learned from its mistakes” following a successful MotoGP pre-season test programme. 

Honda has been a frequent backmarker in recent seasons, but the Japanese manufacturer made strong progress in testing, with Mir ending the Buriram test in sixth. 

The Spanish rider admits there is encouragement because while there were still issues, the bike was clearly able to make up time.

“The lap time was not fantastic,” Mir said via Crash.net. 

“I couldn’t match everything together because we only put one tyre at the end, we didn’t make two time attacks like a lot of riders did.

“This makes me happy, because it means that we made the lap time but we have the margin to do it.”

Mir was keen to highlight the positives, saying that Honda feels “closer than ever” to being back at the front.

“For me, the most important thing today is the feeling that I have on the bike,” the 2020 world champion said.

“The pace that we were able to do during the Sprint [simulation] is something that we are closer than ever since I’m with Honda, so [I] cannot really ask for more.”

He added: “It’s another story, the feeling that I have now and the feeling that I had last year. 

“I hope we can continue with this, I hope that we don’t get lost in the middle of the evolution like happened last year in the middle of the year.

“So, I hope that we learn from our mistakes and also I want to congratulate my team because to make this step in this small period of time is something that is not easy.

“I’m very happy for them. These tests don’t mean anything, but mean a lot at the same time for the people that work there.

“It has been impressive to be close to the top five with this margin that a couple of months ago we were not able to fight even with some test riders.”

Joan Mir: ‘weak points are pretty big’ despite Honda development

Despite the positives, Mir admitted he is “a bit worried” about the race pace of the Honda. 

“We have a couple of weak points, the problem is that the weak points are pretty big, pretty weak,” he said.

“So, I’m worried about the engine. I’m worried because the bike works well – I’m able now to ride in a way that I like and I enjoy, I will not lie, but the thing is that on the straight we are the slowest.

“Today we were able to make a lap time to position ourselves quite high, and with a bike that probably in the straight I’m not able to compete with.

“So, in terms of racing, we already lost the battle, so that makes me a bit worried.”

Luca Marini: ‘track conditions hid some Honda problems’

Mir’s teammate Luca Marini also suggested there was some lap time left on the table by Honda and that steps forward have been made.

However, the Italian agreed that there were still problems that the manufacturer has to address. 

“Today it was easy to make a 1:29,” Marini said via Crash.net.

“In the GP we have to check, because the condition of the track today – and yesterday also – was incredible.

“It was hiding some problems that we have, for example like the grip, because when there is this kind of condition the grip is incredible, you can put more power in the bike exiting from the slow corners, and it’s easier to stop the bike.

“So, it [Thursday] was for sure a good day, but also [Wednesday] was a good day, so overall the preseason was positive.

“We understand very well which is the package that we need to use in the first races, and we can be quite satisfied because we made a step forward compared to our performance here last year.

“But it’s a little bit too early to say it loud, because we need to check in a normal GP what our position is.”

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As the 2025 MotoGP season approaches, a new era is dawning for Honda, who enter the year with a new label and a new development program.

2025 marks an entrance into unknown territory for Honda, who will start the new season with a new title sponsor after parting ways with Repsol, in a split likely caused by five years of stagnancy within the Japanese manufacturer.

The Honda team has only won two races since the turn of the decade, both at the hands of Marc Marquez in 2021. For the most prominent factory team in the sport, the level of performance has not been good enough and 2024 may have been the worst campaign of them all.

In a challenging season, Joan Mir and Luca Marini combined earned less than 100 points last year for the team as the 21 race weekends consisted of poor performances from the RC213V and heavy crashes when the riders found the limit.

There has been a clear dissatisfaction at the team’s situation, with 2020 world champion Mir growing increasingly unsettled and suggesting the concessions have not helped Honda gain on its rivals. However, as the Asaka factory has made key changes to its engineering department, there is a chance that things could be getting better a lot sooner than anticipated.  

READ MORE – Joan Mir: Honda didn’t gain any ‘advantage’ from MotoGP concessions system

Honda riders hold contrasting opinions over manufacturer’s progress

The 2024 season saw Honda record its lowest ever points tally in grand prix history, with Marini and Mir earning just 75 points between them.

Frustration was evident from both riders, but especially from former champion Mir, who believes there has been no short term gains from the new concessions system introduced by the championship.

In contrast to his teammate’s claims, Marini believes Honda has made some good progress in 2024 and that next year he will perform better as he adapts to the new machine.

“As a rider I will be next year stronger on the Honda,” Marini said via Crash.net.

“I think that during this season they made a huge step. Since the day that I came to this factory I saw many changes and next year even more changes will happen.

“So, it just gives me positive vibes. Let’s see how the new guys, how the new engineers will work and for sure everybody wants to bring Honda back to the top.”

Will Honda’s redevelopment project make the difference?

One of the big changes Honda has made as it attempts to recover from its five years of struggles is the hiring of Romano Albesiano as its new technical director, which marks the first time a European engineer has been the head of the company’s MotoGP project.

The boss of Honda’s satellite team Lucio Cecchinello is a big admirer of Albesiano’s work and said he was unsurprised by the decision to appoint him as leader of the redevelopment project.

“I wasn’t surprised, I had already heard within Honda about the need to use additional European figures to strengthen what was the RCV project,” Cecchinello told GPOne about Albesiano’s appointment.

“What happened, and I think it’s a positive aspect, is that new managers have come in who have a more open mindset to the rest of the world. Not everything necessarily has to be done in Japan because we need to have our industries working and take pride in our technology.”

Albesiano joins the Japanese squad after 11 years with Aprilia, a manufacturer which he helped develop from a backmarker to a regular podium contender. The Italian’s work will be tried out by Honda’s new test team which includes Aleix Espargaro who worked with him for the majority of his time in Noale. 

“Regarding his move to Honda, I think it has been very intelligent to sign him as the Italian engineers, the European factories, are improving a lot,” said Espargaro to MotoGP.com.

“So, it’s a really big help for Honda and the Japanese engineers – with his ideas, what he has done with the RS-GP has been remarkable.

“I’m happy also for Romano. To go to the biggest factory with such an incredible history in the championship has a main technical director is such a privilege.”

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Honda Racing Corporation is the latest team to exhibit its 2025 MotoGP livery, with the Japanese marque geared up for the new season.

It’s a new era for the factory squad considering the three-decade-long affiliation with Repsol came to an end after the 2024 season.

Honda’s presentation revealed the return of a large partnership with Castrol for the upcoming season.

The new season sees Honda announce an unchanged rider lineup, featuring Joan Mir and Luca Marini.

Marini’s contract expires at the end of the 2025 season, while Mir signed a two-year contract extension through 2026.

The Japanese brand finished a distant last at the bottom of the riders’, teams’ and constructors’ championships, highlighting the significant improvements needed for the upcoming season.

To lead its comeback to the front of the grid, Honda has brought in Romano Albesiano from Aprilia as the team’s new technical director.

Moreover, the Japanese marque has hired former Aprilia race winner Aleix Espargaro to join its test and development team, alongside Takaaki Nakagami, who departed LCR Honda at the end of 2024.

Stefan Bradl continues in his test rider role for another season but will not take part in wildcard races. It remains uncertain how many wildcards Espargaro and Nakagami will receive for the upcoming season.

Honda’s satellite team, LCR Honda, will unveil its 2025 livery on February 8th ahead of the first test session of the year.

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Factory Honda rider Joan Mir believes the MotoGP concessions system didn’t help Honda gain any “advantage” over its rivals.

After a troubling few years, Yamaha and Honda were awarded further concessions to bridge the gap closer to its European rivals.

Honda facilitated private tests for its riders and experimented with different parts and engine specifications.

Despite these privileges, Honda recorded its worst performance in MotoGP history, gathering only 75 points from Mir and team-mate Luca Marini.

Upon questioning whether the concessions helped Honda, Mir replied: “This year, probably in the same place we are,” he told Autosport.

“I hope this helps us for the next one. But in the short term we didn’t get any advantage. We see it in the results [that there was no improvement]. 

“We have to find a way to get good pieces [on the bike] that help us to be faster. At the moment, we couldn’t get it.”

Joan Mir believes test team additions is ‘very good’

Mir stated that his 2024 schedule was more chaotic due to further testing in addition to race weekends.

In turn, this led the 2020 champion to feel unsure whether this schedule benefitted the development of the bike as initially expected.

As a result, Honda opted to expand its test team for the 2025 season, acquiring three-time MotoGP race winner Aleix Espargaro to accompany Stefan Bradl.

In addition, departing LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami will move to a test-focused role in Japan.

“The thing that the factory riders are able to test more, I don’t think that is an advantage because if the bike is better I would be faster,” he said. 

“That’s why we have a test team. If we go to test something and we stay all day between one week and another one, we don’t rest psychologically. 

“We go one test, race, one test, race [and so on]. Sometimes it’s worse, [not] better. 

“That’s why we have a test team that now is being reinforced and we have to make them work to have proper stuff. What they think is working, we try [that] on the GPs and we see that it’s better.

“The test team was not [big] enough [this year],” he said. “We had just one test rider, and honestly we could improve a lot of the infrastructure of the test team, so they are doing it and I think this for the next year will be very good.”

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Honda Racing Corporation has announced it has signed Aprilia Technical Director Romano Albesiano to its MotoGP redevelopment project.

Albesiano has three decades of motorcycle racing development experience, most notably in his 11 years at the Italian manufacturer, where he helped transform the team from a backmarker to a podium contender.

It was during practice at the manufacturer’s home race in Motegi that Honda announced the news of Albesiano’s arrival.

The Italian will leave his role with the Aprilia factory team at the end of 2024 to embark on a new challenge of returning the Japanese manufacturer to its former glory. 

The signing of Albesiano is a landmark occasion for Honda as it marks the first high-profile European engineer to join the development programme of the RC213V machine.

Aleix Espargaro: Honda’s Albesiano signing “very intelligent”

Albesiano isn’t the only member of the current Aprilia team heading to the Honda development programme for 2025. 

Aleix Espargaro, who has worked with Albesiano at Aprilia for seven years, will be heading to HRC as its test rider for next year.

When asked about what the Italian could offer to Honda, Espargaro gave him a glowing review. 

“Regarding his move to Honda, I think it has been very intelligent to sign him as the Italian engineers, the European factories, are improving a lot,” said Espargaro to MotoGP.com. 

“So, it’s a really big help for Honda and the Japanese engineers – with his ideas, what he has done with the RS-GP has been remarkable. 

“I’m happy also for Romano. To go to the biggest factory with such an incredible history in the championship has a main technical director is such a privilege. 

“I am extremely proud and I can’t wait to start this new journey.

“I know how Romano has been involved in the test team at Aprilia, so I know that my role will be important.

“And for me it will be fantastic to have Romano in the garage and to work with him will be great because I have a big respect and a really good relationship.”

Joan Mir: Honda “need people” like Albesiano joining MotoGP development

Current Honda factory rider Joan Mir says that he believes that the signing of Albesiano to the development programme is what the Japanese manufacturer needed. 

The 2020 World Champion also believes that Albesiano could get the team back on track when comparing Aprilia to Honda.

“I think it is a very important movement because we need people like Romano joining the team with a lot of experience like he has from Aprilia and during all his years. 

“The Aprilia team was in the same situation as Honda, so he moved forward and made a competitive bike so he knows a little bit about what needs to be done. 

“The position that he will be in, combined with the Japanese technicians and engineers, are very good.

“But probably to have one European person inside and pushing them to make that evolution and progress faster is what we probably need.

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