Joan Mir questions “strange” Catalunya MotoGP tyre pressure penalty

Joan Mir revealed that a “tiny” tyre pressure infringement cost Honda it’s first MotoGP podium of the season, in Catalunya.

The Spaniard spent much of the restarted race in second, briefly lost the position to eventual winner Fabio di Giannantonio before reclaiming the runner-up spot from long-time leader Pedro Acosta in the closing laps.

However, Mir was then among six riders placed under investigation for low tyre pressure.

The HRC rider was the highest-placed of the five riders to receive 16-second post-race penalties, with only Pecco Bagnaia escaping sanction due to a leaking wheel rim.

Mir later said that he had missed the required percentage of laps above the minimum pressure by a “super tiny” margin.

“The championship points care!” he quipped when asked how he feels about the penalty.

“But I don't really care because I made a super great ride and I gave 100%.”

Sprint distance, long race penalty "strange"

However, Mir did highlight that the shortened 12-lap grand prix the same distance as the Saturday Sprint.

If Mir and the other riders punished on Sunday had failed to achieve the required 30% of laps above the minimum pressure on Saturday, they would only have faced an eight-second penalty.

“The only thing that was strange for me was the penalty, because we made like a Sprint race, and I got the penalty of a long race!” Mir said.

That effectively meant a harsher punishment since riders were closer together at the chequered flag than they would have been over the planned 24-lap grand prix distance.

“The [gap] compared to the other riders is bigger in a full race. So, probably in a full race, I would have been eighth or ninth [after the tyre pressure penalty]. 

"Now I’m 13th! So it's not fair!”

The flip side is that full grand prix points were awarded on Sunday, compared to only half-points on Saturday.

Without the penalty, Mir would have more than doubled his points scored this season.

Instead, the former MotoGP champion – leaving Honda at the end of this season and tipped to join Gresini Ducati - heads to next weekend’s Mugello round with just eleven points for 18th in the world championship.