Mir on Honda's lack of new parts in Barcelona MotoGP test: "How can I not be angry?"

Mir frustrated with Honda over a lack of new parts to test in Barcelona

Joan Mir admitted that he was "angry" with Honda after Tuesday's MotoGP test in Barcelona, as the Japanese manufacturer failed to bring any new upgrades to the beleaguered RC213V.

With Honda ending the season at the bottom of the manufacturers' championship and 49 points behind its nearest rival Yamaha, expectations were high from HRC during the all-important end-of-season test in Spain.

But while Yamaha brought both a new chassis and a new engine to try, Mir revealed that the parts he was testing on his bike were not new, as he had already tried them in previous races or private tests.

This left him with a bleak outlook for 2025, as he even questioned the point of Honda appearing for the Barcelona test.

"The reality is that I didn't have a lot of things to test, I had already tested everything before, so that's what happened today," he said. "You expect more from a test as important as this one, the one at the end of the season. There is not much more.

"How can I not be angry? There are times allotted for things to arrive, but here they haven't arrived, for A or B.

"Thank goodness we have a test next week, but it's clear that I'm not happy, it's not something to be happy about.

"We are all in this boat, we all want to get out of this situation, it's obvious and I know it, but of course, if we don't have anything for this test, I don't know what to expect for next week's test. We are still in the same situation as we were, far away, and let's see if next week we can get a little closer."

Joan Mir, Honda Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

After seven hours of running at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Mir languished in 15th place with a time that was 1.2s slower than pacesetter Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati.

The best Honda rider was LCR's Johann Zarco, four tenths up on Mir's time but still 0.813s down on younger Marquez's benchmark.

Honda had a nightmare campaign in MotoGP this year, with the Japanese marque particularly struggling at the start of the season. It began to make progress from the summer break, with a notable upturn in performance evident from the two Misano rounds.

Mir said it is important for him to keep his faith in Honda, as he is tied to the manufacturer until the end of the current rules cycle in 2026.

"Here I was hoping for something more to improve the project. It's not a good time to take stock, I've done 70 laps with things I've tested at least twice.

"I think everyone in the team also expected more. It was very necessary to bring a new bike here and start to see the light.

"Little things have been coming in during the year because work has been going on, and the timing has been delayed maybe because of all that, but we expected more. Things are not happening, you have to believe it because you have to be here for two more years."