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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