Joan Mir points out Honda’s “biggest problem”: “I’m tired of saying it”

Joan Mir has reiterated his opinion on the weakest point of the Honda RC213V MotoGP bike, even stressing that he is “tired of saying it”.

It’s Honda HRC Castrol rider Mir’s belief that the engine is the element of the bike that is most holding back its performance, after the Japanese brand made apparently substantial progress over the winter with respect to the prototype’s handling.

Mir’s crash out of the Thai Grand Prix was nothing new compared to his past with HRC, but the Spaniard was at least fighting inside the top-10 when he fell; and Johann Zarco picked up a a seventh-place finish just behind Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi.

But the 2020 MotoGP World Champion was able to see exactly how the lack of engine performance is holding himself and Honda back at Buriram.

“That's still there,” Mir said of the Honda’s lack of power, as reported by Spanish Motorsport.com.

“In fact it's what prevents me from overtaking. When I reached the straight, I would go parallel and as we went up gears they would leave me behind.

“Being able to put myself in parallel would be [good], because nowadays with aerodynamics, if you are not alongside it is impossible to overtake.”

He added: “At Honda they are aware that we lack power, I imagine they have a plan in this regard, because I am tired of saying it.

“The bike has a medium good base, it has its positive points, some negative, but the biggest problem is the engine.”

While the Buriram International Circuit is a layout where straight line performance and acceleration is critical thanks to the lack of long corners and the length of the two straights at the beginning of the lap, the layout at Termas de Rio Hondo – where the Argentinian Grand Prix is taking place this weekend – is more balanced.

The long straight towards the turn five hairpin is counter-weighted by long-radius, double-apex corners that also reward a well-turning bike.

As a result, there is room for optimism at Honda, according to Mir, although he admitted that while the bike could be competitive in Argentina, he also said the bike could “go very badly” at the sole South American stop on the calendar.

"This circuit is very different [compared to Thailand[,” Mir said.

“It doesn't have much grip and has very little braking, it's just another circuit to link up.

“I'm curious to know how the bike is going in Termas: it can go very well, or it can go very badly.

“What is clear is that we are optimistic, inside the box there is a positive air and that helps, without a doubt.”

He added: "The fact of arriving at a circuit on Thursday and knowing that you have already lost is complicated.

“But if you arrive thinking that maybe you can have the opportunity to get in front of it, play with the top-10 and, if everything goes well, [achieve] something better, you come in a different way.”