Joan Mir has shed light on the underlying causes of his recent race incidents, attributing his series of crashes to both his aggressive racing style and the current performance limitations of his Honda machine. Despite completing only two of the first six races in the 2026 MotoGP season, Mir emphasizes that his race-day challenges do not reflect mistakes in practice or qualifying sessions, where he has remained incident-free.
Mir’s initial setback came from a severe tyre degradation at Buriram, followed by four consecutive falls in subsequent Sprint and Grand Prix events. Notably, he managed to remount and finish 15th during the COTA Sprint, underlining his determination. However, these incidents represent his only errors thus far, with his total of four crashes still fewer than those of championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.
Mir’s crash tally also equals that of seven other riders, including KTM’s Pedro Acosta, Ducati’s Fabio di Giannantonio, and Aprilia’s Jorge Martin. Reflecting on his approach, Mir stated, “I like to start a race knowing I have a chance. The most difficult years for me mentally were in 2023 and 2024. I don’t want to go through that again. I enjoy when I have the option to fight for something big, and that is costing me a lot of crashes. But in COTA I had to do it. I have zero regrets. I think the team is supporting me in that way.”
Mir’s recent Sprint crash at COTA was particularly disheartening. He crashed on the final lap while attempting to bridge a narrow gap to Pedro Acosta, a move that, had it succeeded, would have delivered Honda’s first podium of the season. Ironically, Acosta was later penalized for tyre pressure, meaning Mir would have inherited third place regardless.
In the main Grand Prix, Mir’s race ended prematurely from sixth position on lap six, again while leading Honda’s efforts. He attributes these risks to the handling characteristics of the Honda RCV, particularly under braking during races. “We need to improve the rear to ride in a more relaxed way with the front,” Mir explained, recalling his podium finishes for Honda late last season. “If we don’t do that, it will be difficult to fight with the others if I don’t take these risks.”
He further elaborated, “When I am alone, I can ride very fast and quite safely. But behind others with this aero, you have to take risks to stop in the same way. If I have to recover time, then I have to take double risk, and that increases our chances of being on the ground. This is what is happening, and why I am crashing more in the races. That’s the explanation.”
As the season progresses, Mir and his team are focused on addressing the technical challenges to enable more competitive—and safer—performances in the upcoming rounds.
