Joan Mir Confirms Honda Exit After Catalunya Crash

Joan Mir has confirmed he will not continue with Honda beyond the 2026 MotoGP season following another frustrating Sprint Race at Catalunya.

The 2020 world champion failed to finish Saturday’s Sprint in Barcelona after becoming an innocent victim in the Turn 1 incident involving Brad Binder and Fabio di Giannantonio.

Mir admitted the result was particularly disappointing because he felt Honda had finally shown encouraging performance improvements throughout Saturday, especially during FP2.

Baca JugaJoan Mir Putuskan Tinggalkan Honda Setelah Barcelona

"Today was actually positive from a performance point of view. We made a step forward with the pace and I felt very good on the bike," Mir explained in Barcelona, as reported from the paddock by Nerea García.

From a technical perspective, Mir revealed that a small braking issue on his second motorcycle late in qualifying prevented him from improving his lap time and ultimately cost him a potential second-row start.

"With my first lap time we were actually inside the top five. The pace was strong enough for the second row, but we ended up starting from tenth," he said.

That grid position then became a major factor in the Sprint crash because Mir was caught on the outside of Turn 1, one of the most dangerous opening corners at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

"At Montmelo something always happens at Turn 1. MotoGP bikes are extremely fast now and with all the aero there is a huge amount of turbulence," Mir explained.

Despite failing to finish, Mir still viewed Honda’s overall RC213V pace as a positive sign compared to several previous rounds.

"What would keep me awake at night is if we were not fast. But now we are fast, so eventually the results will come," he added.

However, the biggest development came when Mir openly confirmed he has decided to leave Honda after his relationship with HRC management deteriorated following Jerez.

"After Jerez I decided not to continue with Honda. That is already certain, I will not stay there," Mir revealed.

The Spanish rider also admitted disappointment with how Honda management handled discussions regarding his MotoGP future.

"At Jerez I heard nothing from Honda management about my future and honestly I do not think I deserved that treatment. That changed my mind and made me decide to leave," Mir stated.

With that decision now confirmed, Mir’s future immediately becomes one of the major stories in the MotoGP rider market ahead of the new 2027 regulations, while Honda faces growing pressure to rebuild its struggling RC213V project.