Honda factory rider Joan Mir speaks candidly about the RC213V’s shortcomings, noting that comments from all HRC riders are congruent
A look at the overall standings of the current MotoGP season reveals what a difficult situation Honda’s project is in. LCR rider Alex Rins is currently the best-placed Honda rider in 14th place. Teammate Takaaki Nakagami follows in P17 and the two ex-champions from the Honda factory team, Marc Marquez and Joan Mir, occupy positions 19 and 25.
Honda has completely lost touch with the European competition from a technical point of view. The Honda RC213V is not only slow but also quite unpredictable, as evidenced by the many crashes of Honda riders.
“The reality is that we are not good in any area,” notes Honda factory rider Joan Mir after the Silverstone race weekend. “We need a fresh start and we need to improve in electronics, grip and aerodynamics,” notes the 2020 MotoGP World Champion, who has not made it back into the points since the season opener at Portimao.
There are no new developments at Honda, although the gap is widening. “At the moment we don’t have any upgrades to improve the situation. This is our situation. If we don’t get help, the next races will be exactly the same,” Joan Mir is not very optimistic about the following Grand Prix weekends.
The former world champion is relieved when he compares himself with his brand colleagues. “If a Honda rider won all the races, then I would be very worried. But the reality is that none of the Honda riders are riding at the top,” Joan Mir states.
“I know why that is. I think all the riders know. We have the same problems and provide the same comments. That should give good information for the future,” notes the Spaniard, playing the ball towards Honda.