Returnee Joan Mir (Honda) was forced to retire: “Of course I’m frustrated”

Joan Mir was over the moon to be making his comeback at the MotoGP event in Malaysia after a seven-week enforced break. The Honda rider had been sidelined for a long time due to illness – his vision was impaired and he was suffering from extreme fatigue. He missed the Grands Prix in Austria, Japan, Indonesia and Australia.

The 2020 world champion was back at Sepang, and he was quick right from the start. In Friday’s qualifying session, he finished tenth, securing direct entry into Q2 on Saturday. In qualifying, he secured 11th on the grid for his RC213V, and finished the sprint in 16th place.

Willkommen zum Rennen in Sepang

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Pecco Bagnaia und Marc Márquez

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Fans

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Fabio Quartararo

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Pedro Acosta

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Start des Rennens

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Enea Bastianini

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Marc Márquez

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Fabio Di'Giannantonio

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Alex Márquez

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Fabio Quartararo

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Brad Binder

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Marc Márquez

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Alex Márquez

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Ai Ogura und Marco Bezzecchi

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Pedro Acosta

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Marc Márquez gewinnt das Rennen

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Marc Márquez und Team

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Pedro Acosta, Marc Márquez, Alex Márquez

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Willkommen zum Rennen in Sepang

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Joan Mir: “I thought it would be better”

In Sunday’s Grand Prix, Joan Mir got off to a solid start – by the end of the first lap, he was in 10th place. He managed to hold onto this position for several laps, but after nine laps it was all over – Mir headed for the pits and called it a day. “We’d already discussed with the doctors that I’d stop if I started feeling dizzy because of the heat and these difficult conditions. And on lap 9, I actually did feel a bit dizzy. I wasn’t quite in control of the situation anymore, so I decided to stop. We’ll keep working on it and hopefully get the situation under control as soon as possible,” the Mallorcan reported during the subsequent media session. Could it be that everything was just more difficult because of the heat? “I don’t know. I’ve worked so hard to get into a better position. We now need to take a close look at everything again and analyse our situation, because the weekend up to and including Sunday went really well – even better than we’d expected. It’s a real shame, and of course I’m frustrated, but I’m staying focused on working with the team to understand and overcome this situation.”

Next week, the action continues with the Qatar Grand Prix. Most riders aren’t keen on racing there. “We know the situation there isn’t particularly good. If we go there, it’s probably not because we want to. At least, that’s my impression,” Mir clarified. “But even more than Qatar itself, I’m thinking about myself right now. As you can imagine, I’m a bit disappointed because I’ve worked so hard to be in a good position here. I thought it would be better.”

Topic of the week

Soon-to-be world champion Kimi Antonelli: The inevitable will then follow in Mexico

The 20-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli had the chance to secure the 2026 World Championship title at the US Grand Prix. He did everything right: victory in Texas. The title celebrations have nevertheless been postponed. Until Mexico.

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06.11.2026 - 10:55