Mir: “Since Jerez, I am officially on the market”

After his teammate, Joan Mir also spoke about Suzuki's desire to leave the MotoGP end of 2022 and the Mallorcan is rather angry. “The right word is “unexpected”, because we were in negotiations for next year,” confides the man who gave the Japanese factory its first MotoGP title since 2000 two years ago. When I received the information, my first thoughts were with the people at Suzuki. Everyone knows that this team is special and it's thanks to those who make it up. But it's clear that knowing that we are all going to leave Suzuki at the end of the season, we are currently going through complicated times. »

And Mir continued: “I am angry at this decision that someone made. The team is great and we have been fighting for the title every year since I arrived. This is a difficult announcement for everyone and if they have made such a decision there is certainly a very good reason. Because on paper, everything is going perfectly. We are not here trying to get into the points. »

And the numbers speak for themselves. The Suzuki team leads the team rankings and its two representatives, Alex Rins and Joan Mir, occupy fourth and sixth place respectively overall. Rins even teamed up the general with fabio quartararo after his incredible comeback in Portimão. “Suzuki is very professional. They will give their best and support the team until the end of the season, says Mir. But when they say they stop, they stop. »

Mir will therefore find himself without handlebars for 2023, even if some rumors see him joining the Honda clan alongside Marc Marquez. Yamaha and Aprilia would also be interested in offering the services of the former world champion. “Since Jerez, I am officially on the market,” he admits. We were in negotiations with Suzuki before all this and now my manager is going to have more work than he expected. He is talking to Honda and other brands to determine my future after Suzuki. Regardless, I now have additional motivation to fight for the title and deliver a great final result. Nothing would make me happier. »