Joan Mir: I have more time than Marc, but not much more…

At 26, rather than 30, former Repsol Honda team-mate and fellow (Suzuki) world champion Joan Mir can afford to wait longer than Marquez.

But not, he warned, “much more”.

“Yes. For sure something is changing [in Honda]. But normally, when they make such big changes in a company, you need a couple of years to understand if these changes work or not. It's like a bet,” Mir said.

“We need a change. I was able to see that change [is happening]. But, honestly, I have a bit more time than Marc, but I don't have much more… So we'll see.”

Like most of the premier-class grid, Mir’s current HRC contract expires at the end of 2024.

The Spaniard, who slotted into Repsol Honda after Suzuki’s surprise exit, scored just 26 points during a miserable, injury-interrupted debut year on the RCV.

But there were signs of promise at the Valencia test, where Mir tried the latest 2024 prototype for the first time.

“Honestly, I'm very happy. It's the first time I've been able to feel a difference since I arrived [at Honda]. That something really works better,” Mir said, crediting an improvement in weight, grip and front-end feeling, after a season in which he had suffered 24 crashes.

“Normally I wasn’t a rider that crashed more than 5-6 times per year in all my career, because once I was able to understand where the limit is… it was one of my strongest points,” Mir added.

“To fight for something big, you need to understand where you can be constant and not make mistakes. We won a championship [at Suzuki] for that reason.

“This year [2023], for some reason, all that disappeared and we are just trying to find a limit and trying to find a speed. All the crashes are in a similar point and this shows I am still pushing.

“You cannot say to me ‘Just finish the races’ – at some point of the season I thought about this, but mentally it wasn’t helping me.

“I prefer to give everything and crash and go back home thinking I gave 100%.”

Marquez likewise crashed a record 29 times and, before leaving Honda for Gresini Ducati, explained:

“Where we lose more [on the Honda] is the exit of the corner and where we are gaining is the entry.

“If you go too fast into the corner, you will go out slower. But if we go in slower, we cannot go out faster because we have a lack of traction.

“My strong point is a V style: go in super fast, stop and go, and pick up the bike very quick. But [some circuits] don't have these kinds of corners where I can make the difference.

“So it’s there where [Honda] are trying to understand the way to improve for the future.

“I'm not the engineer to say what is the problem, but we have been trying different things and the problem remains the same.

“We also tried different [engine] torque character and they are working very hard, but [Honda] needs time to understand where is the problem exactly.”

While Marquez is swapping the Honda for a title-winning Desmosedici GP23, Mir will be hoping that two riders switching in the other direction - Luca Marini and Johann Zarco - plus the revised concession rules can help accelerate the RCV’s revival.

And if the 2024 Honda is up to the task, Mir insists he is more than ready to deliver.

“I know that if I have a competitive bike then I will be there straight away,” he said.