P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Honda boss questioned about losing Joan Mir after a debut year to forget
The 2020 MotoGP champion, Joan Mir, had a challenging year filled with crashes, injuries, and missed races. Despite his struggles, Mir is now considered Honda’s leading asset after the departure of Marc Marquez. However, Honda team boss Alberto Puig admits that keeping Mir long-term will depend on bike improvements. Currently, Honda’s focus is on enhancing the bike’s performance to unlock the potential of any rider they have. Honda acknowledges the need for improvement and is prioritizing this over contract renewals before the season starts. After a difficult year, Honda is looking to make changes and adapt to the aggressive policies of European manufacturers in MotoGP, recognizing the need for a different approach while remaining true to the essence of Honda.
