MIR SECURES SURPRISE Q2 PLACE ON MOTOGP RETURN

Joan Mir marked his return to MotoGP with an unexpected place in Q2 at the Malaysian Grand Prix, finishing 10th in Friday practice. The 2020 world champion had missed the previous four rounds while recovering from illness and had not ridden since the San Marino Grand Prix in September. If Luca Marini, Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco do not advance from Q1, Mir will be the only Honda rider directly through to Q2.

“Everything went very well. I’m very happy with today’s result,” Mir said. He admitted he had not expected to make the top 10, describing the result as a reward for the work he had put in during his recovery. “This reward means a lot. It means more than meets the eye,” he added.

The time away from racing left Mir feeling mentally refreshed, but his illness had also disrupted his physical preparation. Energy and vision problems forced him to stop training completely for three to four weeks, he said, costing him some fitness. He was able to resume full training during the final week and a half before Sepang.

Mir said he felt physically good on Friday, though the limited workload offered only a partial test: he completed no more than three runs, each lasting five laps. “Physically, tomorrow I will tell you how I feel,” he said, with the longer demands of the race still to come. “Tomorrow we have a race and we’ll see how I feel.”