Marco Bezzecchi
Joan Mir just scored his best MotoGP result in four years after scoring third place at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Even better, after waiting three seasons to bring Honda some silverware, he finally did so at their home race in front of their adoring fans. The Japanese Grand Prix was one to remember for all the right reasons and has given plenty of people cause for celebration.
Without taking away from Mir’s performance, Marc Marquez achieving a seventh title with all of his ex-Honda colleagues being at the podium feels right. Surprisingly, their pace was strong all weekend, and they looked like Ducati’s closest challengers.
Ducati have dominated MotoGP for years, and it may be down to the idea that team boss Luigi Dall’Igna is never quite satisfied with his team’s performance. Marquez overcame a hurdle ‘no one’ expected him to by beating the new generation to claim a seventh crown. It’s something that should also give Mir hope.
Joan Mir was ‘worried’ about his rear tyre behind Marc Marquez at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix
After being held off by Marquez at the start of the race, Mir settled into his groove and paced himself in fourth place. Too many times over the last few years has bad fortune stripped him of a good result, but today was the exception.
After witnessing a drop-off from KTM’s Pedro Acosta halfway through the race, he pounced on his fellow countryman and never looked back. Towards the end, it looked as though a few more laps could have seen him on Marquez’s tail.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the race, Mir shared how he was a little ‘worried’ heading into the last few laps in Motegi, sitting behind Marquez.
“I was worried for the last laps, so I tried to manage a little bit more, the rear tyre, and then pushing until the end,” he said. “Fantastic. A lot. It gives us [Honda] a lot of confidence for the last rounds.
“We will try to make an end-of-season [that] the people will remember. We tried, I think we start to have a package with [which] we can give a good show, and I think that in the next rounds, we will be able to do so.”
READ MORE: What Marc Marquez said to Pedro Acosta in unseen moment after thrilling Motegi battle
What was Joan Mir’s best result for Honda before the Japanese Grand Prix?
Coming into the 2025 campaign, Mir’s first two seasons with Honda had been nothing short of miserable. A best finish of 21st in the championship on a factory motorcycle was a damning verdict.
As their bike has gradually improved this year, so have their results. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Mir scored sixth, which was his second-best achievement for the team.
With his third place in Motegi, he has a new best result for Honda, beating his fifth-place achieved at the 2023 Indian Grand Prix, nearly two and a half years ago.
It was the only time that he finished in the top 10 during the 2023 campaign, before failing to do any better than 11th in 2024.
Honda’s road to recovery has been even longer than Marquez’s, but on the evidence of the Japanese Grand Prix, it may not be long before Mir can contend for podiums at every race.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
