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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