Joan Mir finished inside the top 10 in Friday practice at the Malaysian Grand Prix, securing direct entry to Q2 on his return to competition. The Honda rider had been sidelined since September 13 for medical reasons, missing the races in Austria, Japan, Indonesia and Australia.
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Mir was the only Honda rider to achieve the feat, closing the session in the top 10 and signalling a promising weekend.
Mir: “It was unexpected”
Mir expressed profound satisfaction with his unexpected pace, stating, “Everything went very well, I’m really happy with today’s result. It was unexpected. I didn’t expect to be among the top two tomorrow. It’s a great reward after all the work I’ve been doing during this period. It’s been incredible.”
He emphasised the significance of this achievement, highlighting the hard work and challenges he has overcome. “This reward means a lot. It’s more than what is visible at first glance, for all the effort put in,” Mir remarked.
Honda RC213V unchanged since Misano
The Spanish rider also explained the technical side of his comeback, noting the Honda RC213V he rode was essentially unchanged since Misano. “The bike is very similar, the same one I left at Misano. I think this period without racing helped the team gain a broader perspective on the season and the changes we made throughout the year. We’re now following a direction closer to the start of the season, and I felt better with the bike,” Mir analyzed.
He credited this approach for his strong performance on track.
Mir did not shy away from criticising the Sepang circuit conditions, echoing concerns shared by several riders about the track surface. “The track is not very good. Stones come off the asphalt. I think the situation is on the edge, especially on the straights and some tricky corners like twelve, nine, one, or four. It’s a bit complicated, but we have to adapt,” he said.
Fitness after weeks away
Addressing his physical and mental state after weeks away, Mir confirmed the break was beneficial despite the challenges. “Mentally, after this time without competing, I feel more rested. That’s for sure,” he stated.
He detailed the reasons behind his absence: “Due to energy and vision problems, I had to stop completely for three to four weeks. This isn’t ideal because you lose some physical form, but in the last week and a half, I was able to train at 100% to recover.”
Mir concluded on a cautious note about his physical condition: “Today I felt good physically, but we only did a maximum of three runs of five laps each. Tomorrow we have a race, and we’ll see how I feel. Sepang is always a very demanding circuit.”
Mir’s comeback and candid reflections set the tone for the Malaysian GP weekend, as he aims to translate promising practice form into race success.
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