Joan Mir faced a difficult day during the Czech MotoGP Sprint at Brno on Saturday, finishing 19th after encountering problems with tyre temperature and launch control. Despite a strong qualifying session, where he secured fifth place, Mir was unable to maintain his position when the race began, slipping back dramatically after running wide at turn three on the first lap.
Mir expressed optimism after qualifying, stating,
“Today we had something really positive in Q2, I was really happy to do this lap time and start on the second row,”
and noted his pace during the morning sessions gave him hope for a strong Sprint race. However, a couple of setbacks quickly changed the situation.
The first issue was related to launch control at the start, where Mir noted,
“I pressed it, but nothing happened,”
leading to the loss of several positions early on. He admitted this may have been due to user error or a technical malfunction that would be investigated later. Following this, the rear tyre temperature remained too low, causing a lack of grip at turn three, forcing Mir to avoid a collision by running off the track and falling to the back of the field.
He spent much of the race trying to bring the rear tyre up to optimal temperature, only succeeding in the final two laps. Mir summed up the experience by saying,
“We need to check everything because all of the pieces were there for a much better result.”
Honda Teammate Luca Marini Shows Improvement Despite Challenges
Luca Marini, Mir’s teammate on the Honda HRC Castrol team, had a comparatively better day at Brno. After finishing last in Friday’s practice, he managed to secure a mid-pack position in the Sprint, ending the race in 15th place. Marini also reported feeling physically stronger compared to his previous race at Sachsenring, which was his first MotoGP appearance since returning from injury.
Reflecting on his race, Marini said,
“I think we could have achieved more starting further ahead, but it was a tricky day.”
Although his race start was good, he struggled to match the pace of riders like Pol Espargaro, who advanced through the field. Marini remains hopeful about his progress, noting improvements in his physical condition since Sachsenring.
He acknowledged that the team is still searching for performance gains saying,
“It’s not the result that we aim for, so we need to see what we can do overnight to make another step.”
Marini highlighted the importance of patience, as Honda engineers continue to work on the bike’s development.
“I know that Honda HRC’s engineers are working, so we just need some patience,”
he emphasized.
Marini also pointed out that Brno offers opportunities to fully exploit the capabilities of a MotoGP bike and identify areas for improvement, which the team will focus on ahead of Sunday’s race.
Outlook for Honda Riders at Brno After Setbacks and Progress
The challenges faced by Joan Mir in the Czech MotoGP Sprint, particularly due to launch control and tyre temperature issues, have highlighted the complexities of race preparation even after strong qualifying sessions. Meanwhile, Luca Marini’s steady recovery from injury and gradual performance improvements offer a hopeful sign for Honda’s HRC Castrol team. Both riders and their engineers will be analyzing data and fine-tuning strategies overnight to enhance competitiveness for the main race on Sunday.
As the team works to resolve mechanical concerns and build on physical conditioning gains, their focus remains on extracting better results at the demanding Brno circuit, which demands a well-balanced machine and precise rider execution.
