Mir on Honda changes: ‘Important thing is if something arrives that works’

But Mir also underlined that track performance will be the only judge of whether it was the right decision.

Kokubu’s departure from the project follows the exit of RC213V technical manager Takeo Yokoyama at the start of this year.

Yokoyama was replaced by Mir’s former Suzuki technical manager Ken Kawauchi, while Honda insider Shin Sato has now been brought in to fill Kokubu’s technical director-type role, above Kawauchi.

“I think if there are [staff] movements inside, it's because it was necessary,” said Mir, who has recently started to turn around a nightmare debut season at Repsol Honda by showing top-six speed in India (dry) and Motegi (wet).

“And the Japanese manufacturers are not usually changing people very easily. So it means that if they do it, it's because they are sure.

“And we will see... Inside the [Repsol Honda] garage is the same, but the thing that will be important to understand if this change is better is if something arrives [on the bike] that works.

“That is when we will realise [the positive] on that change.”

Those words echo the previous warnings of team-mate Marc Marquez, who repeatedly spoke of the need to see real progress at the race track, rather than pledges made in meetings, before ultimately losing patience and negotiating an exit from his HRC contract for 2024.

Mir, the 2020 world champion for Suzuki, is now poised to play a key role in the post-Marquez Repsol Honda era.

The #36’s future team-mate is yet to be announced, but Johann Zarco is one obvious candidate, having signed a two-year HRC deal that was due to see the Frenchman placed at the satellite LCR team.