Joan Mir’s manager, Paco Sanchez has claimed that the new MotoGP format is ‘crushing’ the riders and it is the reason behind the several crashes and injuries suffered this season.
The interview Paco Sanchez gave to the Spanish portal “As” is destined to generate a lot of buzz. When discussing his client Joan Mir’s extended absence after he missed Mugello, Sachsenring, and Assen due to a hand injury sustained right on the Scarperia and San Piero circuit.
Paco Sanchez pointed the finger at a number of factors, including the bike’s lack of competitiveness and the new format, which, in his opinion, would increase the number of crashes and injuries.
This year, MotoGP has a new racing format that includes a sprint race on Saturday and limits the number of practice sessions that count for direct qualification to Q2 to just the two on Friday.
Riders are consequently required to attack from the beginning of a round, making the timetable particularly demanding. Paco Sanchez, the manager of Joan Mir (Repsol Honda), has not been uncritical of the novelty.
The manager was questioned about if he had ever encountered a circumstance similar to the one Honda is going through at the present in an interview with AS newspaper. He highlighted the championship’s format as one of the factors in his response, in addition to the performance standards.
“This format is crushing the riders physically and psychologically,” Sanchez said. “I can tell you about Pol [Espargaro], [Miguel] Oliveira or [Enea] Bastianini, who are not on Honda, and have been or are at home due to injury, because of the stress and the new formula, which means that the riders are under tremendous pressure from minute one.
“The statistic is there. It is not a thought but a reality. I have never seen a championship with the level of injuries that I am seeing this year.”
“Honda is not a bike that cannot be trusted, but the situation is difficult,” said Sanchez, speaking of Mir’s experience that began this very season, “then we struggle with a Ducati that has made great strides, finding solutions that others have not found.
“Before, the rider counted 70 percent and the vehicle 30 percent, now the situation has been reversed.”
