Joan Mir draws a comparison with Yamaha and explains why Honda is not (yet) making any real progress – but he sees a decisive difference compared to last year
While Yamaha has recently made small progress and Fabio Quartararo fought for sixth place at his home Grand Prix in Le Mans until he crashed, Honda continues to bob around in the back third of the field
Newcomer Luca Marini, who joined from VR46-Ducati, has not scored a single point so far. Instead, his last places have almost become a sad tradition.
Joan Mir was at least able to score points in three out of five races, but did not make it into the top 10, nor did his brand colleagues Johann Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami. As the best Honda rider, Mir is currently in 18th place in the championship standings with twelve points – only four regular riders behind him, three from Honda.
Like Yamaha, the Japanese manufacturer had already made great efforts last season to find a way out of its slump in form. Internal restructuring and new employees were intended to bring fresh input.
This was also intended to bring them closer to the working methods of the European manufacturers. However, unlike Yamaha, this does not seem to have borne fruit at Honda.
When asked about the comparison, Mir says: “It is true that Honda has also changed a lot of things internally. Maybe they think that’s enough. That’s a bit the thing.”
“But it’s true that we need to give it a bit more time at the moment to understand everything. We have to be patient and give the new people a chance. But yes, everything we’re trying out at the moment is not going in the right direction. “
Despite this, Mir, who has been riding for Honda since 2023, emphasizes: “Compared to last year, I see more reaction this year. That is a fact. But if you ask me if that’s enough or not, I have to say I don’t know. Let’s give it some more time and be patient. That’s the reality at the moment. “
