Joan Mir says the 2025 MotoGP pre-season was ‘the first time I’m able to be as competitive as now’ as a Honda MotoGP rider.

The 2020 premier class champion has endured a miserable two years as a factory Honda rider so far, but continues to ဣback the project havi♑ng re-signed for a further two seasons.

The 2025 RC213V looked solid across wi☂nter testing, with Mir sixth-fastest at the end of the Buriram test and feeling like Honda is “well-prepared” for the new campaign.

“Honestly, we have to be very happy,” he said on MotoGP♒’s After the Flag.

“We put every🎐thing together here what we have in the last day and ꦺwe were able to be competitive. So, that is fantastic.

“It’s the fir🧸st time I think that I’m here that I’m able to beꦺ as competitive as now. So, we have to be super happy.

“The team also has to be happy, this is the reward♏.

“This test means nothing but means a lot also because the work that they’ve done is something that when you put it on track the only way to seꦫe if🎃 you make a good job is if we improve and we are fast.

“And actually, I am su෴rprised honestly about what we’ve been able to do in this day and I think that arrive well-prepared.

“But also a race weekend is a different story, so we still have a couple of weak points an💎d the weak points that we have are pretty big.

“So, we have to continue working.”

“Priority” Honda problem identified by Joan Mir

As well as strong one-lap pace, Mir completꦚed a sprint simulation on the last day of testing on par with that of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and not far off one Aprilia’s M♎arco Bezzecchi grabbed headlines with.

While happy with where the Honda is at,ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Mir admits a lack of engine power needs to be addressed while ongoing vibration issues which blighted his 2024 campaign remain a “priority” problem.

“Honestly, after the sprint simulation, the work🐓 was done,” he added.

“We could finish the test. But at the end we put on a new tyre and just mad✤e one time attack at the end.

“And the lap time was not bad. It’s true that in the first two sect🅠ors we lose a lot, but in the last two not so much because they are more about corner speed.

“So, it means we are getting closer.

“It’s true that the engine is still not there and this thing can be also a problem because during🔴 a race weekend and in a race you have to defend yourself withไ horsepower.

“And this is something we will not be able to do if they don’t bring something. Likeℱ I said, we don’t have many weak points but the ones that we have are pretty bi🏅g.

“The vibration is still there. De🌠spite the improvements that we’ve made, the vibration is still there and 🦄still a problem.

“Probably the vibration is further [into the corner], it allows me to go a little bit faster. But it’s still there, so ♍it’s a priority [to fix].”