2020 world champion Joan Mir is expected to join the factory Honda team to pair up with Marc Marquez next year. That possible move would come due to Suzuki’s surprising decision to leave the championship at the end of this campaign.
As in all squad changes, part of the negotiations are focused on agreeing which members the pilot can take from his old team to his new team.
Although Mir is negotiating with Honda who he could take with him in 2023, the Balearic rider has been respectful of the human team that currently makes up HRC, and has no intention of spoiling the atmosphere within the structure.
“We are very close”, Mir acknowledged in the preview of the Austrian GP when asked when there will be news of his future. “We’re closer than yesterday. That would be a good headline. And I think we’ll have news about it soon.”
Asked about the possibility of taking former Suzuki members with him, Mir replied, “I don’t want to destroy a team.”
“It’s something I don’t want, but it’s important that, wherever I go, they first decide what they want to do with the people who work there, and only then can we study if there is someone from Suzuki who can go with me, because they are out of work.”
“It is not that I want to take my team with me, because there is already a team there. We are trying to understand this kind of thing, but it is not an easy situation. We have nothing else, neither me nor the team. It is not a situation normal for us, so it’s getting complicated.
Mir is yet to get on the podium so far this season, and he also doesn’t think getting a good result at the Red Bull Ring will affect Honda’s decision on team members in 2023.
“It’s not about putting pressure on the manufacturer or not doing it,” he explained. “We are going through an extraordinary situation. It is more about moving forward in these difficult times and trying to enjoy the weekends a little more. I think that will give us an extra mental level as well.”
On Saturday KTM and Tech 3 are expected to announce the signing of Pol Espargaró, current second rider in the Repsol Honda Team, for 2023.
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