Joan Mir losing “1-1.5sec on straights, I just want to fight” | New engine for Austria

With much-needed upgrades, including a new engine configuration, due to arrive for the next round in Austria, Joan Mir’s top priority was just to bring his Honda back to the garage without incident in Saturday’s British MotoGP Sprint.

The 2020 world champion estimates he is losing as much as 1-1.5s per lap due to a lack of engine performance on the long Silverstone straights.

However, Mir has chosen to join team-mate Luca Marini is persisting with an underpowered engine spec, introduced earlier this season, since it is seen as a first step in the right direction.

After crossing the finishing line in 16th place, at the back of a three-rider Honda train led by LCR’s Johann Zarco and Marini, Mir said:

“A very difficult race, not really having the opportunity to be close to [non-Honda riders]. So I decided to stay with the Hondas. I don't think we should do anything crazy and bringing the bike to the box is probably the cleverest thing to do in these conditions.”

He added: “We always make video comparisons and in every straight we lose a lot of time. Two tenths, three tenths in every part of the straight where normally the riders don't do anything.

“So if you have a lot of straights like this track, easy it’s 1-1.5sec. But we know the limitations that we have at the moment and we just have to stay on the bike.”

“Two races ago we changed the engine configuration that will be the [direction] the Japanese guys will take to improve the bike [in future]. For me, it was one step back to make two [forward] in the future. So that is why we have lost a bit of personal performance let's say."

Mir explained: “We removed [the underpowered new engine after Barcelona] because I didn't like it and we put it back from Sachsenring [to gather data].

“So our situation is not getting better this weekend but after tomorrow we will get new stuff, new upgrades.

“That will be also helpful for the mindset and everything. Not just coming here on Thursday and knowing that you don't have the opportunity to be close to any [other] bikes.”

Those upgrades will include another new engine configuration.

“In Spielberg, we will have a different configuration in terms of the engine,” Mir confirmed. “That will be helpful.

“I just want to fight with the group [ahead], but now we don't have the option.”

Meanwhile, asked why new team-mate Marini seemed more satisfied with Saturday’s result, Mir smiled:

“We are both 18 seconds behind! I'm happy that he's happy! But I'm not! That's the reality!”

Told that the retro Honda livery to be used in Sunday’s race had been instantly competitive on its debut back in 1982, Mir joked:

“The situation in this colour [tomorrow] will be different! But if we are able to get one tenth just from the history, it will be very welcome.”

Meanwhile, LCR team-mates Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami said they are currently using a different engine spec to the Repsol riders but should also get the new engine for the next round.

"I don't know how much improvement I can have from this [new engine in Austria] but yesterday I really got very clear comments and I'm hoping we will have improvements," said Zarco.

However the Frenchman cautioned that the engine alone will not catapult the RC213V from the back of the grid, and is hoping for a package of upgrades.

"If [the current problems can be fixed] just from the engine that would be super positive. But I don't think so. My feeling is that something else is not working as it should," he said.