Joan Mir explains what Thailand Grand Prix ‘confirms’ about Honda after crash

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The 2025 MotoGP season is up and running after the conclusion of the Thailand Grand Prix.

Marc Marquez dominated the weekend in Buriram by taking pole position, the Sprint win and the Grand Prix victory. It was the perfect start to life at Ducati as he finished ahead of his brother Alex Marquez and teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

Ducati locked out the top four via VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli. Yamaha were the only manufacturer outside the top 10 as their Japanese rivals Honda enjoyed an encouraging weekend.

After finishing bottom of the constructors’ championship last season, Honda looked to have made a huge step forward in pre-season, particularly from 2020 champion Joan Mir.

Honda engineers had to control themselves about Mir’s progress in testing. It was clear they had improved, but they could not afford to get carried away.

At the Thailand Grand Prix, the Japanese manufacturer showed the progress they had made over the winter. Sylvain Guintoli loved Mir chasing Marc Marquez during practice as he sailed into Q2 – something he had not seen Honda do ‘forever’.

Joan Mir says Thailand Grand Prix ‘confirms’ Honda’s recovery despite crashing in the race

Mir finished ninth in the Sprint race on Saturday – the highest-placed Honda rider. LCR’s Johann Zarco finished just behind in 10th with their respective teammate Luca Marini and Somkiat Chantra coming home 15th and 19th.

In the race, Mir displayed solid pace as he kept up with his rivals in the battle for P6. However, he fell off his bike at turn 12 and was the first retirement of the race.

Despite a disappointing end to what had been an encouraging race, Mir did not left his accident ‘dampen’ his spirits.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Joan Mir from net worth to career stats

Speaking with the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com, the 27-year-old highlighted that the Thailand GP ‘confirms’ Honda have recovered from their poor form. Zarco grabbed seventh for LCR while Mir’s teammate Marini finished 12th.

“I’ve been through a lot already; this doesn’t dampen my spirits,” said Mir. “I got burned; I got two blisters on my hamstrings. That’s why I lost concentration for a moment and lost the front wheel. It’s a shame, because sixth place was a position I could have achieved.

” But this is the race that confirms Honda’s recovery. I felt good, I was able to drive as I like, being aggressive. We are on the right track. This is the worst scenario in which we can race and we were competitive.”

Neil Hodgson has Joan Mir as the ‘surprise’ rider of the 2025 season

Seeing Honda back at the front of the field will be a welcome site for everyone in MotoGP. The Japanese manufacturer have regressed massively over the last few years.

Thailand was an encouraging step forward and proved what they can be capable of in 2025. Neil Hodgson thinks Mir will be the ‘surprise’ rider this season given Honda’s progress.

But the Spaniard must take advantage of the improvements in the RC213V. After his crash in Buriram, Mir must avoid any further errors to maximise the performance of the bike.

Marini says Honda must utilise their reserve riders in 2025. Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami are two experienced heads who can help develop the bike, with the former already waxing lyrical about the machine after testing.