Joan Mir disappointed with Honda: how Gresini and Ducati prevented his retirement

Sanchez, manager of the two-time world champion, spoke about the future move to the Gresini team: a great opportunity for a comeback.

The four years with the Honda HRC team have been very complicated for Joan Mir, who was used to a completely different bike during his Suzuki days and found himself with an RC213V that was especially difficult to ride in the first two seasons. There were many crashes, and only in 2025 was there a technical breakthrough, with the Spaniard even managing to reach the podium twice. However, the crashes continued to be numerous, even in the 2026 championship.

Despite underwhelming results with Honda, the two-time world champion managed to secure a good spot on the 2027 MotoGP grid. In fact, he will race for the BK8 Gresini team on a Ducati Desmosedici. For him, it will be a major chance to relaunch his career.

Paco Sanchez, Mir’s manager, discussed his rider’s situation in an interview with PecinoGP, the YouTube channel of Spanish journalist Manuel Pecino: "Joan took a gamble by staying with Honda, he believed in the brand, he believed in the project, and we have to say we were wrong, because they didn’t improve the bike. And the proof is looking at where the other Honda riders are. Marini is ahead in the overall standings because he’s a reliable rider who doesn’t take risks, he finishes races and if five riders crash ahead of him, he scores points. That’s his philosophy, and thanks to it he’s in the top 10 in the World Championship, while we’re behind. But in the race, the one with the speed is Joan, obviously putting his own integrity on the line."

With Honda, to try to achieve important results you have to take risks, and that can lead to crashing and even getting injured. Sanchez can’t wait for Mir to get on the Ducati to prove he’s still a top-level rider: "I know what talent he has," he explains, "and how he trains. I think he’ll surprise more than a few of those who hastily buried him. Joan is 28, he’s not a dinosaur."

There are many MotoGP fans who criticize the two-time world champion for his numerous crashes and who believe he didn’t deserve the seat at BK8 Gresini, but his manager is convinced that Nadia Padovani’s team made the right choice: "He crashes a lot because he has incredible ambition," he explains, "and he tries to go much faster than the bike allows. He tries in every race, and I think that should be appreciated. I think Gresini recognized the value of his story and the effort he made to bring this Honda to the podium."

Sanchez was able to explain how the move that led Mir to sign with the BK8 Gresini team came about, admitting that retirement was a real possibility: "The priority was to find a factory team. We saw we couldn’t make it, Joan thought about retiring. Then the Gresini team called me; I have a good relationship with them. I spoke with Michele Masini and he told me they were interested in discussing Joan. I told him I would talk with them, but that I wasn’t sure Joan would want to continue by riding for a satellite team."

The Mallorcan rider has always raced with factory teams in MotoGP, but the right arguments were used to push him to accept a satellite squad: "I met with Joan," Sanchez continues, "and there was a meeting with Gresini and Ducati. Gigi Dall’Igna was there too, and he said Joan would have a fully factory bike and official support from the factory. Obviously, updates arrive a bit later, but by getting results he would have the same bike as Marquez and Acosta. From there, Joan put the financial aspect on the back burner and prioritized having a competitive bike again so he could feel like a rider again and fight at the front."

Nadia Padovani’s structure is not an official factory outfit, but in recent years it has achieved top-level results, and it would have been a huge mistake for Mir to turn down the offer. Mir received all the necessary technical guarantees: he will be able to use a factory Ducati, as happened with Alex Marquez in 2026. If the new Desmosedici proves competitive (there will be new technical regulations in 2027), it will then be up to him to show his potential.

The BK8 Gresini team represents the right environment both for a young rider starting out in MotoGP and for a rider seeking a fresh start. On one side, there will be the young rookie Dani Holgado taking his first steps in the category; on the other, there will be a Mir clearly hungry for redemption after difficult years at Honda. Both should have everything they need to do well and prove that the Faenza-based team was right to bet on them.