Joan Mir has finished just one of the first six Grands Prix in the 2025 MotoGP season before the British GP at Silverstone, where he retired in each of the past three years.
The 27-year-old last took the chequered flag at Silverstone back when Mir finished the 2021 British GP in ninth place. It even marks the only time that the Spaniard has scored a point in the premier class in Northamptonshire, as well as since securing P5 in the 2017 Moto3 race.
Mir had to miss the 2019 British GP during his rookie MotoGP season due to chest and lung injuries and the race was not a part of the 2020 calendar. He even crashed out of the race in 2022 and 2023 before having to retire after getting a warning light on his dashboard in 2024.
Honda will hope Mir takes the chequered flag on Sunday after retiring from the Grands Prix in Thailand, America, Qatar and France already this term. The only time the 2020 champion has finished a Grand Prix in 2025 was Mir’s P9 in the Argentina GP for seven of his 12 points.
Joan Mir is desperate to reach Q2 at Silverstone to avoid a first-lap crash like at Le Mans
Still, despite Mir retiring on the first lap of the 2025 French Grand Prix as an innocent victim of Enea Bastianini and Francesco Bagnaia’s collision into Turn 3 at Le Mans, the Honda rider thinks he showed good speed at the iconic track after sealing ninth place in the Sprint Race.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Joan Mir from net worth to career stats
But Mir believes he needs to reach Q2 at Silverstone for the Spaniard to avoid incidents like what happened at the start at Le Mans in the British GP. He would also benefit from a bit of ‘luck’ to avoid retiring from a fifth Grand Prix in succession for the second time in two years.
“We showed at Le Mans that we have the speed,” Mir said, via quotes by SPEEDWEEK. “We just need a bit of luck and a place in Q2 to avoid problems in the early laps of the races.”
Joan Mir has just two more points than Honda test rider Takaaki Nakagami in 2025
Failing to finish Sunday’s British GP would mark Mir’s fifth consecutive DNF. Only once in his MotoGP career has the Spaniard ever retired from five successive Grands Prix, yet even that run between rounds three and 10 in 2023 was interrupted by having to sit out three events.
He would be loath to now register his true first run of five-straight DNFs with a fourth DNF in a row at Silverstone. Especially as Mir is just 19th in the riders’ championship with 12 points, while Johann Zarco has 72 for LCR after winning at Le Mans and Honda’s Luca Marini has 37.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Honda from the MotoGP team’s riders to leadership
Even HRC test rider Takaaki Nakagami nearly matched Mir’s points haul for the term so far in only the French GP. The Japanese rider sealed sixth at Le Mans for 10 points after starting on wet tyres instead of slicks, unlike Mir who pitted on the sighting lap to switch to his dry bike.
Nakagami was a wildcard at Le Mans to test Honda’s carbon swingarm, as well as to provide extra data on their upgraded engine. Aleix Espargaro was the first HRC test rider to run their upgraded V4 engine at Jerez, and he will enjoy another wildcard appearance at Silverstone.
