The Struggle at Honda: Why Mir Can’t Compete with the Current MotoGP Machine
In fact, Honda is one of the most successful manufacturers in MotoGP history. However, it has had tough times lately. To put it frankly, its legendary past seems to be getting a little dull with its failure to keep up the pace going forward in the premier class. Joan Mir is one of those riders who is suffering the most because of these struggles. A large part of why the 2020 MotoGP World Champion has found it difficult to press the repeat button so far on his earlier success is with his new team, Honda, following his move from Suzuki. This article explores why Joan Mir has struggled to find his rhythm with the current Honda machine. We’ll explore technical issues with the bike, his adaptation challenges with the new team environment, and the broader implications of Honda’s place in the MotoGP pecking order. Honda’s Recent Woes: A Brief History Success within MotoGP is nothing new for Honda, whose strong history in the sport has seen it take multiple Constructors’ and Riders’ Championships with legendary talents such as Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, and Marc Márquez. In recent seasons, however, cracks have started to show in Honda’s armor, with the team struggling to produce a competitive machine that could challenge for wins on a regular basis. A Dominant History – A Declining Present The last couple of years have been extra cruel on Honda. Though the team had enjoyed a period of dominance with Marc Márquez between 2013 and 2019, the script has flipped dramatically since then. The serious injuries to Márquez in 2020 and 2021 exposed Honda’s over-dependency on its star rider and how woefully ill-prepared the RC213V — the bike that had been tailored almost exclusively to Márquez’s aggressive riding style — was. The Post-Márquez Era: An injury to Márquez has sent Honda on a tailspin trying to adapt its bike to suit a broader range of riders. Tech issues with the RC213V have persisted, from poor rear grip to unbelievable handling cases that even the more considerable talents of the experienced riders find hard to manage. Performance Decline: The team has gradually declined in terms of performance, with fewer podium finishes, to inconsistent results now ruling. For a manufacturer who has been used to being at the top, this decline has been stark and concerning. Joan Mir’s move to Honda was one of the most talked-about switches in recent MotoGP history. The 2020 MotoGP World Champion with Suzuki, he came into the Japanese marque during a period when they arguably needed him to help bring back success. But far from smooth, the transition has been one in which, more often than not, Mir has struggled – and that fact reflects broader issues with the current Honda package. High Hopes: Given Mir’s heritage, few were surprised that the diminutive Spanish rider rose to succeed in MotoGP. Hopes were high there, especially with Honda banking on the consistency and smooth riding style of Mir that saw him win a world championship. Yet, despite talent and will to perform well, he has struggled to get on with the RC213V and been off the boil this season, falling over several times. The Honda RC213V: Not a Bike for the Common Man At the root of Mir’s struggle is this iteration of Honda’s RC213V bike. Of course, it has potential, but the bike has proved notoriously difficult to ride, with several characteristics that are very far from Mir’s riding style. One of the bigger issues with the RC213V is really that it’s related to its handling. The bike was originally developed around Marc Márquez’s uniquely aggressive style, relies enormously on front-end stability and extreme lean angles, and has brought him success. However, this approach has made the bike a little less versatile and hard for other riders to handle. Instability at the Front End: The RC213V has taken an engineering design compromise, favoring stability at the front end while sacrificing rear grip and overall balance. That has been a nightmare for riders like Mir, who prefer a properly rounded setup that offers smooth corner entry and exit. Not being in control of the front-end instability has seen Mir writhe on the floor many a time, and at the same time, it takes away the confidence so crucial at the MotoGP level. Pitiless Design: Unlike some of its rivals, the RC213V is less forgiving, with even slight mistakes leading to lost grip or a crashing bike. This lack of forgiveness certainly creates difficulty in adapting a riding style to the needs of the bike and only leads to frustration when results are inconsistent. Another critical problem with the Honda has been the lack of rear grip, accentuated upon accelerating out of corners. This has made it difficult with the means to apply power smoothly, leading consequently to wheelspin, instability, and poor traction. Limited Traction Control: Honda’s electronics package has also struggled to provide the required amount of traction control, particularly when put against rivals such as Ducati and Yamaha. This lack of rear grip makes it hard for riders like Mir, who excel at cornering speed and maintaining momentum, to ride at their best. Impact on Race Pace: The rear grip issues have seriously affected Mir’s race pace, forcing him to ride conservatively; otherwise, he can easily lose control. Naturally, he has stacks of late braking and corner speed at which he hasn’t been able to exploit since bike difficulties keep compounding further. The other typical trait of Honda’s RC213V is its very aggressive acceleration and braking characteristics, both of which require a very particular riding style. For riders like Mir, who are initially brought up on bikes with quite different characteristics compared to that of the Honda example, such as Suzuki’s GSX-RR, adapting to Honda’s philosophy is a massive task at hand. Different Riding Style: Mir had to make pretty significant changes in the way he rides, to suit what Honda wants from him. One of the hallmarks of the
