Joan Mir Admits Repsol Honda Is Not OK: I Won't Lie Like Wearing A Mask

JAKARTA - Repsol Honda has not yet risen from adversity. In MotoGP 203, the Japanese factory team still had difficulty competing to win the podium.

This was also acknowledged by Repsol Honda racer, Joan Mir. He said the 2023 MotoGP was a very challenging season for him and the team.

The former Suzuki racer did not deny that his team's condition was not doing well.

"This is a very difficult (time). I won't lie. Sometimes it feels like when you wear a mask says that everything is fine and so on, but it's actually not okay," said Mir, quoted from the official MotoGP website, Thursday.

The 2020 MotoGP world champion also admitted that he did not enjoy the few Grand Prix weekends that are currently rolling.

"In the race, at this time, I don't feel happy. I don't enjoy it. I want to get out of this habit and enjoy what I like the most, which is more than riding a MotoGP motorbike, which is winning," said Mir.

"(Winning) is the thing I love the most in the world. Riding a motorcycle is the second thing I like the most. When things go well and when we have confidence, everything will end beautifully. However, when we don't have it, we lack a lot of things in ourselves."

Mir has fallen 11 times in five MotoGP rounds in 2023. His journey is undeniablely difficult as he continues to adapt to Honda RC213V.

Although there has been little progress with his performance when he played the French MotoGP, Mir thinks it is still far to achieve victory.

"Right now, I see the podium very far (from us)," said the Spaniard.

Mir continued, he did not want to drag on in the slump and tried to get up and give his best performance with the team. He revealed that he had experienced the same thing during the 2020 race, where he finally came out as world champion.

"But in 2020, in the first race, I also felt the same way. In the end, I knew what was in me and when I could show it, I knew how far I could achieve it," said Mir.

"I think, right now, it's a process of patience, peace of mind, holding on to this, surviving with whatever happens. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I have to do it, I have to hold him out of here and enjoy him again," he added.

Furthermore, Mir hopes that he can grow his confidence and bring him and his team back to finishing at the forefront and making his name sweetly remembered at the motorcycle racing event.

"It can be a very beautiful story. I really like that story. That's why I keep trying," he said.