Joan Mir was one of the most consistent drivers of the 2021 season, managing to qualify among the top nine in the 16 races he finished, finishing in the top five up to eleven times. At the end of the year, the 2020 champion had six podium finishes, but was unable to achieve a single victory, which condemned him to be out of the fight for the title before time.
Mir ‘s consistency is demonstrated by his numbers, but it wasn’t enough for the Mallorcan runner to be almost always among the first to put up a fight against Fabio Quartararo who, exactly like the Spaniard, finished 16 times in the top 10 and, of them , eleven among the first five during the year, but unlike the Spaniard he added five victories and a total of 278 points, 70 more than Suzuki , who finished third in the championship, also surpassed by Pecco Bagnaia (252).
Seeing Mir’s extraordinary consistency, one concludes that Suzuki failed in 2021 to defend the crown.
“No, I wouldn’t say it like that. It was a series of things that happened and that didn’t let us [fight for the title]. It’s a bit complicated to talk about this, a bit difficult, really,” said Joan Mir in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.
Although he was, at times, critical of the Japanese brand, Mir does not want to place all the blame on the evolution of the bike, but he does admit that he is not happy with what happened last season.
“I’m not happy with the situation, it’s not that I’m not happy with Suzuki, I’m not happy with what has led us to not be able to fight for the World Championship in a harder way, not having been able to put Fabio [Quartararo] against the ropes at any time of the season. It’s not what I expected and it’s a disappointment. I’m disappointed, I think that’s the word”, with which he defines his 2021 season.
Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP, Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
One of Mir ‘s most recurrent complaints during the season was that the improvement of his rivals during the year was much higher than that of Suzuki and when he is asked what he would like to have from the other bikes, it is clear to him.
“I can only answer this based on what everyone thinks the other bikes have, but I really don’t know because I haven’t tried any other than the Suzuki. But for sensations, I would keep the power of the Ducati , the agility of the Honda , the grip of the Yamaha . And also with the perseverance of the Suzuki .”
With only 24 years and two world championships in his pocket (he was Moto3 champion in 2017), Mir ends his contract with Suzuki at the end of the season and there are not a few who already place him out of the Hamamatsu brand in 2023.
In some sports, a release clause is usually included if the offer of a ‘big’ arrives, when we asked Mir which team could access it, he bets on insurance: “I think the strongest teams right now in MotoGP are Ducati, Honda and Yamaha. I would also put Suzuki on that list. Then things would go that way.” Almost nothing.
