Joan Mir says he never doubted Honda’s ability to return to the top after celebrating his second MotoGP podium in four races during the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard, who had endured a 50-race wait for his first Honda podium, bounced back impressively from a Saturday sprint crash where he was fighting for fourth place. Starting seventh in the main race, Mir quickly climbed to fifth and kept the pressure on Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo before inheriting third when Francesco Bagnaia suffered a late puncture.
“I knew what was possible after yesterday, but that line between crashing and being fast is very narrow with our bike,” Mir said. “You have to take more risks than others, but I didn’t want to see another ‘Mir Out’ — I wanted to finish, and I wanted that podium.”
After struggling through two tough seasons with Honda, Mir’s faith in the Japanese manufacturer is finally being rewarded.
“I never had doubts that Honda will be back,” he told MotoGP.com. “That’s why I renewed for two more years. I trust this project and these people. It’s just a matter of time and hard work.”
Looking ahead, Mir believes Honda still has work to do. “We need to make the bike more stable and improve the grip so we don’t have to push at 150% every lap. The engineers are good, and I trust Honda’s effort to return to the top soon. Before winning, I want to be consistently fighting at the front.”
Honda’s last MotoGP victory came in 2021 through Marc Marquez at Misano, while its satellite team LCR has since delivered wins via Alex Rins at COTA 2023 and Johann Zarco at this year’s French GP.
