After the first MotoGP qualifying session of 2022 resembled the challenges of the previous two seasons, Joan Mir and Alex Rins ‘anticipated more.’
After failing to demonstrate the GSX-real RR’s ability in Q2, Joan Mir and Alex Rins will begin today’s Qatar MotoGP in eighth and tenth place, respectively.
Mir and Rins finished Q2 four tenths behind pole sitter Jorge Martin, despite the fact that lap speeds were close throughout the top ten.
With their new engine giving substantial top speed and the motorcycle looking as good as ever in the corners after finishing practise first and third on combined times, a challenge for pole looked certain coming into qualifying.
While Suzuki still has a chance to win the race, Mir and Rins will now face the challenge of trying to overtake Ducati bikes, which was incredibly tough in 2021, as three are positioned ahead of Mir and four ahead of Rins.
Despite describing the day as a “good day overall,” Mir noted, “We’ve been working a lot for the race and trying to improve the bike.” We found FP4 to be helpful when working on tyres.
“I expected a bit more in qualifying, but I was struggling a lot against the wind. However, our position isn’t too bad – especially as all the riders were so close.
“I set my fastest lap alone, so I’m not too upset because that’s not easy. I can feel a big improvement compared to last year and my pace could be good in tomorrow’s race.”
Rins, as Mir, believes the race may have a different conclusion, but he was disappointed with his Q2 performance, which saw him set a time that was slower than his fastest in FP2.
“I’m not happy with the result because I was expecting a bit more, but I know that I gave 100% so we need to understand what went wrong to end up 10th,” added Rins
“The times between everybody are very close, but overall we’re going in the right direction.
“Even though it’s not the best place to start from, I think I can still have a good race. We just need to work a bit tonight and tomorrow morning.
“In FP4 I tried a few things with the bike and some different tyre options, and that has allowed me to feel prepared and ready for the race.”
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KTM, MOTO, Motocross, MotoGP, MXGP, Joan Mir, Alex Rins, Suzuki
