Mir, Rins 'expected more' in Qatar MotoGP qualifying, 'good race' still possible
Joan Mir and Alex Rins will start today’s Qatar MotoGP from a disappointing eighth and tenth respectively after failing to show the GSX-RR’s true potential in Q2.
Although lap times were very close throughout the top ten, Mir and Rins eventually ended Q2 four tenths down on pole sitter Jorge Martin.
Having finished practice first and third on combined times, their new engine providing serious top speed and the bike looking as good as ever in the corners, a challenge for pole looked certain heading into qualifying.
And while a race win could still come Suzuki’s way, Mir and Rins will now experience the difficulty of trying to overtake Ducati bikes - something that was extremely difficult to do in 2021 - as three are positioned ahead of Mir and four ahead of Rins.
Despite calling it a 'positive day' as a whole, Mir added: "It’s been a positive day overall; we’ve been working a lot for the race and trying to improve the bike. We used FP4 to work on tyres and it was useful.
"I expected a bit more in qualifying, but I was struggling a lot against the wind. However, our position isn’t too bad – especially as all the riders were so close.
"I set my fastest lap alone, so I’m not too upset because that’s not easy. I can feel a big improvement compared to last year and my pace could be good in tomorrow’s race."
Like Mir, Rins feels the race could bring a different outcome, however, the Spaniard was left frustrated by his Q2 showing which saw him set a time slower than his best in FP2.
"I’m not happy with the result because I was expecting a bit more, but I know that I gave 100% so we need to understand what went wrong to end up 10th," added Rins
"The times between everybody are very close, but overall we’re going in the right direction.
"Even though it’s not the best place to start from, I think I can still have a good race. We just need to work a bit tonight and tomorrow morning.
"In FP4 I tried a few things with the bike and some different tyre options, and that has allowed me to feel prepared and ready for the race."
