Mir unable to match team-mate Rins, suffers with ‘front tyre problem’

Current MotoGP world champion Joan Mir loses two-three seconds per lap during the closing stages at Silverstone; ‘I had a problem with the front tyre that I didn't have before, and we have to understand’.

Robert Jones

31 Aug 2021

Joan Mir, MotoGP race, British MotoGP 29 August 2021
© Gold and Goose

Joan Mir has lost big ground to championship leader Fabio Quartararo after suffering front tyre problems at the British MotoGP.

Mir wasn’t alone in having tyre issues at Silverstone as Francesco Bagnaia who was tied on points with Mir heading into the race slipped from second to 14th.

The Suzuki rider’s drop through the pack wasn’t as dramatic as Bagnaia, however, after battling for fourth early on, Mir was overtaken by Brad Binder, Iker Lecuona and Alex Marquez during the final five laps before finishing ninth.

Mir said: "The feelings honestly were really good in the first laps, I was able to ride in a good way and to be in the position that I wanted for the end of the race.

"But I had a problem with the front tyre. This problem was making me lose two or three seconds on the last five laps, and quite a lot from ten laps to the end, or 12.

"I had a problem that I didn't have before, and we have to understand."

Mir’s struggles were even more surprising given team-mate Alex Rins finished second - his first podium of the season, plus the fact Suzuki is usually the kindest bike on it’s tyres.

Rins was however using a different front tyre compared to Mir, who acknowledged ‘I didn’t shine during the weekend’.

"I said all during the weekend that the bike was working well and more on the race, but I didn't shine during all the weekend," added Mir

"I was working in the shadow a lot of the time, and probably if today something doesn't happen to me, I will be not as angry as now, and probably the history will be a lot different.

"But I'm happy for the team and Alex [Rins], he showed what I couldn't today, and this for sure is really good information for the future.

"It's true that he was using a different front tyre than me, so we have to understand this. I was struggling so much on the braking area, everyone was overtaking me like so easy, and Alex was strong on the brakes.

"So it means that the bike performance was there. This is something that I already knew."