Seventeenth at 1,362 from the head occupied by Marco Bezzecchi and almost seven tenths slower (0.687) than the time that put him eleventh on the grid at the Malaysian GP last year. that’s how it started Joan Mir his first test as a Honda rider at the Sepang track. It is normal that he cannot describe the day as hopeful and that he says the following lapidary phrase: “The reality is that we are very far from Ducati and Aprilia”.
-How much different is your bike today compared to the one in Valencia?
-Not too much. It is true that they are completely different circuits, but we are in a similar position at the moment. We are suffering, although this track is probably not the best for this bike, but we are a long way off. It is so. I have been able to improve during the day, especially with used rubber, each time I have felt more comfortable. I lose a lot of time on the fastest lap because I don’t have the confidence and the feeling to do a time attack. I’m not ready yet, but step by step we’re going to get closer. We are working, there were a lot of things to test today and we are far from the fastest, but it is part of the process.
-Have you worked on adapting to the bike or on its development?
-The first thing is to find a good set-up and a base to feel comfortable working. The good thing is that with a used tire we are not that far away and it is important to work with the bike. We are working on getting a better grip and also improving the braking somewhat. We have tried different fairings that completely change the character of the bike.
-What does the arrival of Ken Kawauchi, formerly of Suzuki, contribute as the new technical manager at Honda?
-Ken always uses his method. And that method went well on Suzuki. He is trying to transfer that idea to the rest of the team that he was already with before. And look for a mix between what he contributes and what he can learn from them. I think he can do a great job here, it’s not about Ken coming in and the bike running immediately, but it’s part of the process as well. It is not easy to find half a second per lap nowadays in MotoGP but we are working.
-Did you expect something better or have you met your expectations?
-Actually, I did not have expectations because it is worse if they are not met later. I have come here with the idea of working hard and trying to find speed. In Valencia I felt a different ‘feeling’ than today. I struggled a lot to keep the lap time and it was strange because it had always been one of my strong points. I usually ride very smoothly to keep the tires good until the end of the race and in Valencia the tire dropped a lot and I felt the difference a lot when I put on a new tyre. Here I was able to be more constant for several laps, and although I feel when I put that new tire on, I’m not ready to get these last tenths yet.
-It cannot be said that it has been a hopeful day…
-We have not found anything today to say ‘what step forward we are going to take’. The reality is that we are very far from Ducati and Aprilia. This is the reality. And that’s twelve motos ahead… That always makes it a bit difficult.
-Have you noticed changes from Valencia to here?
-The character of the bike is a bit the same.
