First day as an official Repsol Honda Team rider in a Grand Prix completed for Joan Mir. the balearic pilot He has been happy with the results and improvements he has had on his RC213-V on the first Friday with his new team at the Portuguese Grand Prix, although he is aware that he still has a lot to improve for the next rounds of the year.
The driver from the Balearic Islands finished with the 12th best time, staying just 138 thousandths off the direct pass to Q2, harmed byr a problem with the temperature of his second set of tires. Mir, he hopes that for the next sessions they have learned the lesson in the structure so as not to make the same mistake again.
With his eyes set on Saturday’s day, Joan Mir spoke to the press at the end of the activity on the Portimao track and this is what he told us:
Happy with the first day of the Portuguese Grand Prix: “We have been able to improve a lot from the test until today and I have been able to feel a lot better with the bike. I think we have left something else behind on the track, so I am not entirely satisfied.”
The new weekend program may pose problems for the future: “It has been a very different and very intense day. What I didn’t like about this new format is that with the red flags we finished at almost 5 in the afternoon with temperature and visibility that were not the same and I don’t think it’s necessary to do an hour of session. Maybe nothing happens here, but if we go to other places with lower temperatures it can be dangerous”.
A team error with the tires prevents him from finishing in Q2: “That second tire was a shame, we had a problem with the temperature and I hope it won’t happen again. The bike was left outside with the heaters on and when it came out it wasn’t ready, it needed a few laps to warm them up. It is what we have been able to improve on today. We could have improved the time, he could have done a little more. Of course, it’s a shame because we were having a great day. Tomorrow is a new day and I think we have a good chance to go into Q1.”
Ask for more security measures to avoid misfortunes: “Of course. Nothing is done until something happens here, that’s how it works here. There must be an air-fence on that curve, I don’t know how it isn’t there. When I go around on Thursdays I don’t start to look where they are, because you don’t pay attention to that, but it seems that we should. It seems incredible to me that after all the criticism we have had with this gravel, until someone is seriously injured, nothing will be done. I don’t understand”.
Angry with the solutions of the circuit with the gravel: “They have not changed all the gravel, they have changed in some sections, not in the entire runoff. It is not the solution. I hope Paul is okay.”