Joan Mir: 2026 Honda MotoGP bike ‘best I’ve ridden’, but key weakness remains

Joan Mir says the 2026 Honda MotoGP bike is “the best package I’ve ridden” since joining the marque, but admits a key weakness from last year remains.

Honda made significant gains last season with its RC213V, scoring a first race win in two years in a wet French Grand Prix and adding three dry-weather podiums to its tally.

It came into 2026 with less testing time available to it due to moving up the concession rankings, but has hit the ground running with its latest package.

Joan Mir was fastest on a rain-affected day two at the Sepang test, setting Honda’s fastest ever lap of the Malaysian circuit with a 1m56.874s.

It also marks the first time since Mandalika 2022 that Honda has topped a test session.

Reflecting on his day, Mir believes he is currently riding the best Honda he’s had since joining the marque in 2023.

“We only used one soft tyre today,” he said.

“It was the one that we made the time attack with at the beginning of the day. It was a good lap, but I think there is still some margin, as I think the others will have.

“So, let’s try to, more than trying to find the lap time, find a good compromise on the bike tomorrow to the one I feel comfortable on and ready to push.

“At the moment, I feel comfortable on the bike. It’s the best package I’ve ridden since I joined Honda. So, I’m happy.”

Technical director Romano Albesiano was quietly pleased with the RC213V’s performance on Wednesday, but believes “the real” speed of the bike will be seen on the last day.

“We are moderately satisfied,” he said.

“It’s a test. Probably we will see the real performance of the bike tomorrow. We are happy.

“The bike is performing well, we are competitive, and this is what matters most at this stage of the season.”

Key Honda weakness persists despite bike gains

Mir did highlight that the 2026 RC213V, at this stage, is still lacking in rear grip, which is a complaint that has persisted for the last few years among Honda riders.

“The grip is still an issue,” he said.

“We spin quite more than what we want. Tomorrow we will work on it.

“We will try to understand what we need to improve in that area, and try to put everything together tomorrow. Let’s see if we can be a bit faster.”