**”Joan Mir Battles Engine Woes, Awaits New Upgrades for Austria”**

Joan Mir losing “1-1.5 seconds on straightaways, I just want to compete” | Fresh engine for Austria

Joan Mir: 'When there are many straight sections, it's easy to lose 1-1.5 seconds. But we understand our current limitations and just need to keep riding.'

Joan Mir's main goal for Saturday's British MotoGP Sprint was to safely return his Honda to the garage, especially with crucial upgrades, such as a new engine setup, expected to be introduced in the upcoming race in Austria.

The 2020 world champion believes he is falling behind by approximately 1 to 1.5 seconds per lap because of insufficient engine power on the extended straightaways at Silverstone.

Nevertheless, Mir has decided to follow his teammate Luca Marini in continuing to use an engine specification that lacks power, which was introduced earlier this season, as it is considered a positive initial move.

After finishing in 16th position, trailing behind a trio of Honda riders headed by LCR’s Johann Zarco and Marini, Mir commented:

"The race was extremely challenging, and I didn't have much chance to keep up with the non-Honda riders. Therefore, I chose to stick with the Honda group. Given the circumstances, I believe it was smartest to avoid taking any risks and just bring the bike back to the pit."

He mentioned, "We consistently review video footage and observe that we lose significant time on every straight. We're losing two to three tenths of a second in each segment of the straight where riders typically aren't actively doing anything."

According to the speaker, on a track with numerous straight sections, the difference can easily be about 1 to 1.5 seconds. However, they acknowledge their current limitations and emphasize the importance of simply remaining on the bike.

"Two races prior, we altered the engine setup that the Japanese team plans to use for future bike enhancements. In my view, this was a strategic move backward to facilitate greater progress later on. Consequently, my individual performance has slightly declined."

Mir stated that they took out the underperforming new engine after the Barcelona event because he was not satisfied with it. They reinstalled it at the Sachsenring to collect more information.

"Our circumstances aren't looking up this weekend, but starting the day after tomorrow, we'll receive new materials and improvements."

“This will also benefit our mentality and overall preparation. It's better than arriving on Thursday and realizing you won't have the chance to get near any other bikes.”

The improvements will feature a different engine setup.

Mir stated that in Spielberg, there will be a new engine setup which will be advantageous.

"I simply wish we could compete with the leading group, but that isn't possible now."

During the same time, when asked about why his new teammate Marini appeared more pleased with the outcome on Saturday, Mir grinned:

"We're trailing by 18 seconds each! It's great that he's pleased about it, but I'm not! That's the truth!"

Informed that the vintage Honda design set to be featured in Sunday’s race had performed exceptionally well when it first appeared in 1982, Mir quipped:

"The scenario in this context [tomorrow] will change! However, if we can glean even a tenth from past experiences, it would be greatly appreciated."

In the meantime, LCR teammates Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami mentioned that they are currently utilizing a different engine specification compared to the Repsol riders. However, they expect to receive the new engine for the upcoming race.

"I’m unsure about the extent of the benefits I’ll gain from this new engine in Austria, but yesterday I received some very clear feedback and I’m optimistic that we will see some improvements," Zarco stated.

Nevertheless, the French rider warned that simply having a new engine won't propel the RC213V to the front, and he is looking forward to a series of improvements.

He mentioned that it would be highly beneficial if the existing issues could be resolved solely through the engine. However, he expressed doubts, suggesting that he believes there are other factors at play that aren't functioning correctly.

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