Joan Mir knows he can’t afford to repeat last year’s miserable debut Repsol Honda MotoGP season and labels 2024 as 'the🍷 most important year of my career'

Suzuki’s 2020 world champion scored just 26 points la🌜st season an🍌d didn’t see a Sunday chequered flag once from April to August, as accidents and injuries took their toll.

A fifth place in India provided a brief glimmer ofಞ hope but proved to be his only top ten appearance.

Fortunately, the heavily revised 2024 Hon♚da prototype, which Mir took to tenth (+0.692s) at the recent Sepang test, is showing signs of progress.

“The truth is this is a very important yeaജr for me, maybe the most important of my professional career so far,” Mir said at today’s Repsol Honda team launch.

“If a𓄧 rider has one year that’s not okay… then two in a row is even worse. So🔯 I want it to work. I will do my best. I think Honda is on the same page and I’m very optimistic.”

“It looks like it’s a year of changes,” he added. “The bike is completely different and the new livery is very 🍨aggressive.

“Honestly, I think we’ve improved a little bit of everything. We just miss a little bit of acceleration at the moment, then something on the aerodyna🐼mics.

“But the bike is already completely different in terms of aerodynamics. It 🍎looks more like a modern bike! Last year there was only one wing and this year there are a lot.”

Among the many changes for🔥 Mir this season is a move to the other si🃏de of the garage to work with Marc Marquez’s former crew, headed by Santi Hernandez.

“This is a good change, let's say, because with Santi it was very natural at the Sepang test,” Mir said. “We were able to create a good atmosphere inside the box which very💯 important for a rider and we were able to work well together.

“Also with all the mechanics was som🌠ething very great. I really eღnjoy working with them and I think we can make a good team this season.”

Team manager Alberto Puig insiste♍d there are no question marks over Mir despite last season.

"We know Joan from the past and we know last year he struggled a lot with the bike, but this year he recovered his confidence and he's a very fast rider. He's a two-time wo♔rld champion. So we have noไ question mark on him. So let's see how this new bike can help him to deliver his potential."

Puig has also been pleased with the adaptation into the tea꧟m by new signing Luca Marini.

"For Luca, he's a new guy, but we are really surprised about the way he’s jumped into the team. It's like we knew him for a long time," Puig said. "He's ﷽very precise, very structured. He knows wꩲhat he wants. 

"He's a young guy that looks very mature in the way he's acting inside the box with the mechanics, with the engineers and at the end 🔯of the day he's a very normal guy. 

"From our point of view, it's very easy to work with a person like this and we are very pleased for him to be here with ꧋us. 

Unlike new team-mate Luca Marini, Mir’s current contract expires at the end of🉐 2024.

Pre-season testing will conclude in Qatar on February 🅷1🎶9-20.