Joan Mir cautious about Honda MotoGP win hopes: “We finish on the podium or on the ground”

It’s hard to say exactly when Honda’s decline to the bottom of the pile in MotoGP began, but what is certain is that by October 2025 it has lifted itself out of the slump it had been in until 2024.

There are multiple people to point to as the directors of HRC’s rescue, but the rider currently able to take the most advantage of Honda’s 2025 gains has been Joan Mir.

Luca Marini might be the more consistent rider at the moment, and Johann Zarco may have won in France in the beginning of the season, but it’s Mir who has been able to climb the rostrum twice during MotoGP’s Asian tour, finishing third in both Japan and Malaysia as the 2025 season nears its conclusion.

The 2020 MotoGP World Champion put his recent performance level down to setup changes that have given him more front confidence, even if overall grip is still lacking on the RC213V.

“In terms of setup, we found something that allows me to ride in a better way: I can attack more the front, I can turn more the bike going into the corners,” Mir told the post-race press conference in Malaysia.

“But it’s true that we have some limitations on that because then, in terms of grip, we always struggle, and in tracks with low grip it becomes difficult. 

“So, we are a bit on that, to try to improve that for next year to have a competitive package everywhere. 

“But we have to be super-happy with all the work that we’ve done from last year– well, three years that I’ve been in Honda, it’s not something about the short-term, it’s about work of long-term, giving information to the engineers, working together, trying to build up a competitive package and now we have to enjoy the moment.”

The recent Honda improvements and the recent podiums from Mir mean the question can be asked of when Honda can win again.

For Mir, though, it’s too early to think about the top step.

“I don’t know,” the Honda HRC Castrol rider said. “To start running, we have to walk first. 

“It’s important that we consolidate a little bit these podium places. We finish on the podium or we finish on the ground, and this is not possible. 

“We have to improve that, try to work a bit more on the bike, try to make it more stable, try to improve slightly more the grip. 

“This will make the bike slightly easier to ride and with a bike you don’t have to push like 150 per cent all the laps because it’s so easy to make a mistake. This is something we need to improve. 

“It’s hard to improve that because every time you reach a better level it’s more difficult to improve. We could see on the past this thing. 

“So, to improve the actual package will be difficult but I think that we have margin and the engineers, they are very good, and I trust a lot Honda and the effort that they are making to be back on top as soon as possible. 

“But, first of all, before winning I would like to be more constantly in these [podium] places.”