Last Sunday, in Germany, the Mallorcan from Suzuki thought he had found the key to get back on the podium in a race, something he had not achieved since the penultimate round of 2021, in Portugal, in which he finished second.
However, Mir crashed on the fourth lap, a circumstance that prevented him from corroborating his feelings, those that made him suspect that he had a powerful enough turn rate to fight for the podium.
It may or may not be a coincidence, but the truth is that the dynamics of the 2020 world champion and that of Alex Rins, his partner at Suzuki, have been in clear decline since the Hamamatsu brand announced, after the Spanish Grand Prix, that would close the team at the end of the course.
Once the initial shock has been overcome, it is time to take flight, especially when the pilot market is in full swing. As much as it must be taken almost for granted that Mir will stop at Honda in 2023, as a neighbor of Marc Márquez, a good result would be the best way to announce the good news.
“In Germany I was happy with the bike. The goal is to start in Assen with what worked for us there. Last year I was fast in Holland, and I think that with the material we have now I can also be fast”, declared the Spaniard, aware of that needs a change in trend.
“I feel better with the bike and I enjoy it again, but it is clear that I need to click in a race to regain confidence, and this is a good circuit to do it”, deepened the Balearic rider, ninth in the general table of points, in which he is tied with Rins, both more than a hundred points behind the leader, Fabio Quartararo.
While waiting for his future to become official, presumably in the official Honda team, Mir underlines the unpredictability that prevails in the pilot market with a view to 2023, which can surely hold the occasional surprise.
“Next year there are going to be a lot of changes; a lot of people will jump from their factories to go to others. The market is in chaos. At first I was placed in Honda; then in Yamaha and then in Ducati. Nobody is clear where do people go”, stressed Mir.
