MIR SAYS MARQUEZ’S TITLE RIVALS ARE STRUGGLING TO HANDLE THE PRESSURE

Joan Mir believes Marc Marquez’s rivals are struggling to cope with the pressure of the MotoGP title fight, as the Spaniard closes in on another championship.

Marquez was more than 100 points behind the standings leader after the Italian Grand Prix in the spring. Nearly five months later, he is building a commanding advantage as he targets a 10th world title and an eighth in MotoGP. He finished second in Saturday’s Malaysian Grand Prix Sprint, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, who now sits 52 points behind with four grands prix and three Sprints remaining.

Jorge Martin is 19 points behind Marquez but will miss Sunday’s race. He fractured his wrist in a crash during the Phillip Island Sprint last weekend, where he had been battling Marquez. Martin entered that race just two points behind him.

Mir, the 2020 champion, said Marquez appeared composed and focused. “I see Marc super-focused on what he has to do, without making any mistakes,” he said after the Malaysian Sprint. “Personally, I think he has the title very much within reach, because the others are not being able to withstand his pressure.”

Mir’s own Sprint was shaped by a gamble on changing bikes as rain clouds gathered. Running in the midfield, he felt the track’s long, train-like nature made it difficult to make progress from further back. Rain began around Turn 4, prompting him to take a chance despite the uncertain conditions.

“I started to see that it was quite black, the sky, and it started to rain in turn four and I said, ‘Maybe it’s the time to take a risky decision today because we are not fighting for [anything],’” the Honda HRC rider explained.

The rain arrived too late to make the switch worthwhile, beginning on the final lap after the leaders had already crossed the line. “I took the risk and it didn’t pay off until the last lap that it started to rain, so it was not the right timing,” Mir said. “But you never know in these cases.”