Marco Bezzecchi
Santi Hernandez is not concerned that Honda rider Joan Mir has retired from 62.5% of the races so far in 2026, as it shows he has the same “DNA” as Ducati’s Marc Marquez.
Mir has suffered more retirements than any other rider through the first eight rounds of the 2026 MotoGP season, having only taken the chequered flag three times. The Honda ace is also 18th in the riders’ standings, with only 15 points to his name as a result of his DNFs.
Factory teammate Luca Marini is the top Honda rider in the standings in P11 with 57 points, including 11 for his best result so far of P5 in Hungary. LCR riders Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco (who missed the past two rounds through injury) are P16 on 36 points and P17 on 34.
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Santi Hernandez sees Marc Marquez’s ‘DNA’ in Joan Mir’s willingness to crash to do well
A problem with his rear Michelin tyre wearing excessively forced Mir to retire while running in P5 in Thailand. Yet the 2020 MotoGP champion was at fault in Brazil, America, France and Hungary, as Mir produced a further flurry of crashes like have blighted his years with Honda.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Joan Mir from net worth to career stats
But Mir’s crew chief, Hernandez, is not concerned that the 28-year-old has often crashed, as it shows he refuses to accept mediocrity and chases the best result possible. Hernandez also sees clear similarities between Mir’s ways and how Marquez has spent his entire career.
Hernandez told Moto.it: “It’s in the rider’s DNA. He wants to win, he wants to get results. When he sees he can do it, he takes the risk.
“It’s true that sometimes you say, ‘S—, if we hadn’t taken that risk, we’d have got a better result.’ But that pleases me, because he’s someone with drive. He’s not the sort to ease off the throttle and say, ‘The bike isn’t ready. I’m not taking any risks.’
“How many times have we seen Marc take a risk and crash because he wanted to do better? That tells you these are riders with a DNA that wants to do well. For me, that’s the positive thing I can say about Joan.”
Marc Marquez is the first rider EVER to hit 100 wins and 100 poles, but is he better in qualifying or the race? 💯
Hernandez saw Marquez’s approach first-hand while the Spaniard’s crew chief at Honda. He often saw the Cervera native push the limits until he crashed during practice, before dialling it back just enough to be safe in the races. Mir, however, continues to push during the races.
“I’m one of the people here that, I don’t enjoy this just for being part of it,” Mir said, via The Race, in April. “I enjoy when I have the option to fight for something big. And that is causing me a lot of crashes.”
As well as being at fault for a spate of crashes in the Grands Prix staged so far this season, a penalty cost Mir a podium in the Catalan GP. The Spaniard came home in second place after a fantastic ride after the second restart, just to lose a rostrum due to his front tyre pressure.
The crashes on Mir’s CV so far this season have also not always been his fault. Mir was taken out of the Sprint in Barcelona when VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio accidentally caught KTM’s Brad Binder, which pitched the South African’s bike into Mir’s path and took them both out.
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