Official: Joan Mir to MotoGP with Suzuki
Suzuki has officially confirmed that rising Moto2 star Joan Mir will complete it's 2019 MotoGP rider line-up.
Mir has secured the factory MotoGP ride after just two and a half seasons in grand prix.
Suzuki has officially confirmed that rising Moto2 star Joan Mir will complete it's 2019 MotoGP rider line-up.
Mir has secured the factory MotoGP ride after just two and a half seasons in grand prix.
The Spaniard made his full-time Moto3 debut at the start of 2016, was world champion in 2017 and joined Moto2 in 2018.
Mir will partner Alex Rins on an initial two-year contract, in place of Andrea Iannone, who is joining Aprilia next season.
The long-awaited announcement also means all twelve factory MotoGP team seats are now occupied for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
“Joan Mir is only 20 years old now, already a World Champion with an impressive 10 wins last year and he has already proven several skills," said Suzuki team director Davide Brivio.
"He is fierce, he is witty, he is nice and he can be very fast. All the characteristics that we like to search for in a young rider, who wants to join us not only for the prestige of a factory machine in the top class but most of all because he believes in our racing project.
"Talking to him I realised how much he has a clear mind, how much he liked our Suzuki project and wanted to join us. This has been a great boost for us. Of course, we know very well that he will need time to gain experience and grow with us, but we have full confidence in his potential.
"Suzuki management encouraged us to pursue the ‘young rider philosophy’ and with Joan I think we found the perfect protagonist for this role. With Alex and Joan we have two very talented riders and our target is to create a strong Team for the future.”
Suzuki MotoGP project leader Shinichi Sahara said: “As a team we have always tried to look forward to long-term development plans, which includes also making some bets on young riders that we feel can be an investment for the future.
"We did it in our debut year in 2015, we did it again in 2017 when we signed the debutant Alex Rins, who has been confirmed also this year, and we are further confirming this with the agreement with Joan Mir.
"He is a young talent we would like to see grow and help us to grow the GSX-RR and the team with him. He is now involved in the Moto2 class and we definitely want him to enjoy the championship, but we are also eager to start working with him and see him debut in the top class. We believe in his skills.”
On the podium in the last two Moto2 races with the Marc VDS team, Mir is currently fifth in the world championship, one place behind experienced team-mate Alex Marquez, whom he has now beaten to a MotoGP ride.
Mir's manager revealed at Le Mans that Mir was being pursued by no less then three different factories - Suzuki, Honda and Ducati - but will now follow in the footsteps of countrymen Rins and Maverick Vinales by making his MotoGP debut on the GSX-RR.
Suzuki, which lost race winner Vinales to Yamaha at the end of 2017, is thought to have penned a tighter contract to keep hold of Mir should the 20-year-old prove just as talented in the premier-class.
Rins, who took his first MotoGP podium in Argentina, will now be expected to steer development of the 2019 GSX-RR while Mir gains experience.
Uncertainty over the Marc VDS team's 2019 plans mean it is unclear if Alex Marquez will also move to MotoGP next season, as had been expected.
The younger brother of MotoGP champion Marc approached Tech3 to enquire about the remaining KTM MotoGP seat, but that has now gone to Hafizh Syahrin.
