The German Grand Prix was one of the most attritional of the MotoGP season so far as eight riders retired at the Sachsenring.
Riders battled with turn one, especially, as the likes of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi fell down from podium positions. The German Grand Prix saw just 10 finishers.
One of those was the returning Luca Marini, who scored a magnificent sixth place for Honda in his first race back for over six weeks.
His teammate Joan Mir, who had retired from 55% of his races with the Japanese manufacturer before the day started, missed out on a strong finish as he crashed again.
Fermin Aldeguer ‘started laughing’ at Mir after he called him a ‘kid’ following their clash in Assen just a few weeks ago. He was frustrated at failing to make the flag at another event.
Honda have a new line-up ‘plan’ for 2026 and it may involve Mir having a new teammate for next season, if Marini drops to the satellite LCR team in the future.
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MotoGP fans think Joan Mir is cursed after Ai Ogura crashed into him at the German Grand Prix
Fighting as high as ninth place with just under 10 laps to go at the Sachsenring, Mir was on for yet another incredibly solid result.
Hunting his fourth top 11 finish in the last five races, Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura slid into the side of him, resulting in a second consecutive retirement for the Spaniard.
And speaking on X (formerly known as Twitter), some MotoGP fans simply couldn’t believe how Mir’s race ended.
“Mir is soooo unlucky,” said one fan, while another agreed, “How unlucky is Mir???”
A third fan had virtually the same words to say, “Damn, Mir is so unlucky,” but another pointed to the track surface for the incident, “Turn 1 curse.”
And finally, some people were worried about the outlook of the race, with very few riders left with under 10 laps to go, “So no one will finish the race,” said one fan, while another said, “Wow, crazy!! Marc Marquez is so good, man.”
READ MORE: Joan Mir criticises Johann Zarco for what he ‘doesn’t’ give as top Honda rider amid promotion claims
Is Joan Mir under any pressure as a Honda MotoGP rider?
For the time being, Mir is under contract until the end of 2026, while his teammate’s deal expires at the end of the year.
It means that he is under slightly less pressure to deliver, but his crashes are mounting, and he does need to deliver at some stage.
There’s a reason that he’s a champion, but that form feels like it was a long time ago now. If he fails to deliver a more consistent baseline in 2026, he could be in trouble.
With new regulations on their way for 2027, Honda could look to have an all-new line-up and direction heading into a new era.
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