The 2020 champion has a perfectly marked road map and continues his course, without great fanfare, towards the goal that is embedded in his mind. Joan Mir does not win or get on the podium, but he does not fail, he is always there on the lookout and this weekend he arrives in Portimao with a lot of confidence and a huge desire to get his first top 3 of the season.
This Friday, after finishing with the second fastest time in FP1 and being the third fastest driver at the end of the day, the rider from Palma managed to place himself provisionally in Q2, with the need to get a good position on the grid that would allow him to widen his career options.
“I think we are working a lot on confidence in these first races, we are getting faster, I feel more comfortable on the bike, come some conditions or others, it always seems that we are there. This is a circuit that I enjoy, and we must always be optimistic. I had a lot of fun this morning in FP1 and the sensations are very good, that’s why I’m happy, not for anything else”, he pointed out when they pointed out that he looked very confident in himself.
Despite the good result, the Suzuki rider knows that it is only the first day and in changing conditions, with wind and rain included, anything can happen.
“We have to be prepared for what may come tomorrow (Saturday) because we don’t know if it’s going to be dry or wet. I’m one of the riders who has less experience in MotoGP riding in water, and we always have to take advantage of these conditions to improve the sensations and I am achieving it”.
A turning point in his improvement in these types of conditions was the race in Indonesia, where he made a great comeback in the wet.
“The one in Mandalika with the rain helped me a lot, finishing that type of race is a big step forward, you understand things better, although on that track there was grip even in the wet”, he recalled.
Mir wanted to claim the clear improvement of the 2022 GSX-RR, which gives him room to focus on the detail.
“Last year on Fridays we suffered a lot and we were improving throughout the weekend. Now, on the other hand, some Fridays we are already well and that means that the base of the bike is better than what we had. That allows us not to have to work so hard on that and have more room to polish the little details that are surely what allow you to fight for victory. So it’s been a good start to the weekend and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend”, settled the Balearic.
