Joan Mir’s year without MotoGP win “difficult to digest”

Mir emerged as the most consistent force of a chaotic 2020 MotoGP season, which saw nine riders win grands prix in a COVID-19-shortened 14-race calendar.

The Suzuki rider won at the European Grand Prix in Valencia a week before he would be crowned world champion, but has struggled in 2021 in what turned out to be an unsuccessful bid to defend his title.

A lack of development for the GSX-RR in 2021 and major improvements for the likes of Yamaha and Ducati has meant Mir has only been able to score six podiums – his best result a second at the Algarve GP.

Speaking exclusively to Autosport last weekend, Mir admitted he has struggled to accept his win drought this season.

“It's difficult for me, I'm not going to lie to you," Mir said.

“I demand a lot from myself, you're not going to see me always happy to be on the podium, I'm someone who likes to win and it's costing me a lot.

"I struggled a lot in the first year, but the reality is that I had only been in the world championship for four years.

“Now I'm six [years in], I'm very new and I have room [for improvement].

“But we've come to this year and it hasn't been anywhere near what I expected.

“To go a year without winning is difficult to digest and I'm not having a good time.”

Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

He added: “Last year was my second year [in MotoGP], I started to work, a victory came at the end of the season and it could have been more.

“But then you get to a point where you say to yourself that it's the third season already and you have to improve.

“I'm in that process, I've only been in the world championship for a short time and I arrived very quickly in MotoGP, which means I still have room for improvement.”

Mir’s second at the Algarve GP secured him third in the riders’ standings behind Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia and new world champion Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha).