Joan Mir’s second 💧season with Repsol Honda is unlikely to be much better than his first.

Last year, Mꦅir publicly discussed a shock retirement just months after leaving Suzuki.

A crash-ridden 2023 has given way to a new season and Mir’s best result, after four roundඣs, is P12 in Portimao.

It is a far cry from 2020 when Mir became the MotoGP champion with Suzuk�ꦆ�i.

His future - and a possible future outside of MotoGP - was debated a💟t last weekend’s Jerez 𝐆round.

“It’s a tough one,🐼” Sylvain Guintoli said on TNT Spor♐ts.

“You get to a point - just like Marc Marqu▨ez did at Honda - wh༺ere you lose motivation.

“Is it better to go and do something else?

“It’s a tough one for Honda in t🌌hat situation. They’ve got to manage the performance side, make the bike better.

“They also have to manage the riders, and ꧙their motivation. You have to keep your guys motivated.

“These guys are still the best in the world - they could go into another series an🦩d get some wins, they couldꦛ be tempted to do something else.

“Because it does get depressing. You’ve got more than 20 races but, basically, you are just racing🔜 and testing all yไear.

“If your bike is not up to the task, it’s a tough one to keep t🌟he motivation.”

Neil Hodgson replied: “He’s not old. I know Joan, he’s 🐟obsessive.

“If you are his manager, you’re trying to get him on a Duca🧸ti or on a KTM.”

Mir wouldn’t be ☂the first rider to quit Honda in recent years.

“Look at the Marquez brothers,” Guintoli said.

“Happy faces. Everyone is laughing in the box.

“They are on ten-⛄times less money but are having fun, and are in the mix to win races.”

Mir finishಞed P9 in last weekend’s sprint (largely due to the huge amount of crashes in front of him) then P12 in the grand prix at Jerez.

Reps💛ol Hond🦩a teammate Luca Marini is faring even worse in his first rounds on the bike, since joining from VR46.

Overall, Honda are bleakly at the back of the MotoGP 𝔍and are watching on as even Yamaha, their fellow Japanese-manufactured strugglers, are outperforming them.

Mir, still only 26, is into the final ye𝕴ar of his Honda contract so could be targeted to go elsewhere.

But after two seasons of poor results, blighted by his below-par machinery, he may find himself with something💎 to prove as new, hungry contenders jostle for the best seat on the 2025 grid.