HRC Honda's Mir admits recovery setback after mysterious health problems
Mir's ongoing issues are causing plenty of concern (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
Joan Mir has admitted his previously unreported vision problems are yet to become a thing of the past.
The 2020 MotoGP champion stepped away from his bike in September when Honda announced he’d miss the next two events.
Rather strangely, HRC didn’t explain why, and that lack of detail became more concerning when he missed a third event, and then a fourth.
All in all, Mir was absent for over two months, and neither the media or the fans got an answer until he returned to action for the Malaysian Grand Prix.
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HRC Honda's Joan Mir explains mysterious two-month absence
The 29-year-old surprised everyone by revealing that he’d been struggling with vision issues brought on by fatigue.
“It was a period where I simply needed to stop because I had some vision problems,” he explained.
“At first, we didn't really know what was going on; it also had to do with fatigue, quite extreme fatigue. And it was a process that went from bad to worse.
"I think the cause was related to a problem I had in the past with my eyesight, which, with the stress of racing, was getting worse.”
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Asked for more detail, he wouldn’t budge, adding: "I have many answers about what happened.
“But, in the end, I'll keep them to myself, for my future; besides, I think they'll be very important for the future."
“It was a period where I simply needed to stop because I had some vision problems."- Joan Mir
Mir appeared positive that the shock issue was behind him in Sepang, and was particularly delighted after qualifying 11th
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“Today I'm super happy,” he said. “It's an unexpected result and a great reward for all the work I've done during this period.
“It's fantastic and means a lot to me, much more than you can see.”
All smiles then? Well, not quite.
Mir forced to retire in Malaysia as dizziness returns
After 16th in the Sprint Race, Mir only lasted nine laps in Sunday’s Grand Prix before pulling into the pits.
Giving a disappointing update, he told the media: "I already knew, from what the doctors had told me, that if I felt dizzy at all due to the heat and these very difficult conditions, I would have to stop, and I started to feel a bit dizzy on lap 9.
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“I wasn't in control of the situation and decided to stop. We will continue working and hope to resolve the situation as soon as possible.”
Mir doesn’t have much time, with the Qatar Grand Prix the following weekend, and the Spaniard isn’t very hopeful.
Former MotoGP champion casts doubt on recovery before Qatar
In a despondent update, he said: “I'm thinking about myself and, as you can imagine, I'm a little disappointed.
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“I've worked really hard to try and be here in a good position, and I thought I was better than I actually am.”
Mir has had one of MotoGP’s most bizarre careers, winning just a single race, but it helped him claim the 2020 title on a Suzuki.
Things haven’t worked out for him at Honda, but on a factory-spec Ducati with Gresini Racing in 2027, hopes were high for a return to form.
Yet Mir’s end to 2026 has poured cold water over that optimism, and MotoGP’s biggest enigma looks set to remain a mystery at least until his latest issue is cleared up.
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