thinking a lot about joanluca and how massive honda’s climb in the concessions ranking this year actually is, for both of them and for honda as a whole and I feel like I need to elaborate on it:
So first, it really matters to remember that Luca’s arrival at Honda comes after spending his entire life as one of the first VR46 academy riders, and the academy is a place where all the boys treat each other as equals, like brothers in a family. Until that point, he had spent his entire career in an environment where the whole point is: everyone’s equally important, nobody flexes, no one’s the “star.” And even if Luca has always been seen as the quiet one, who doesn't care about it, he also has spent basically his whole life being labeled as “Valentino Rossi™’s brother”, and that has made it basically impossible to make a name for himself.
So, now, in 2024, when he finally did the most terrifying, most independent move of his life, which was leaving the team that gave him his shot at MotoGP and taking the big step of joining another team, a legendary one, he didn’t choose comfort. He went to a team that was at its worst. Yes, it was a great opportunity, because it made him a factory team rider, but he signed up for the rebuild-from-ashes arc. That was not an easy, cushy path. It was a hard, painful, uphill mission.
And on top of that? He had to accept the uncertainty of doing this while trying to get along with a new teammate, from another country, someone that, while he did know, he barely had talked to. And yet, despite all that chaos, what he got was Joan Mir!
After all, what he got was a teammate who’s calm, kind, chill, not toxically competitive, and has never been that kind of rider. Someone who, actually☝️ did looked forward to having a calmer but experienced teammate, after spending 2 years dealing with the pressure of being the teammate of literally The Best Rider of Our Times (who also was at his worst then), and coincidentally, saw in Luca exactly what he needed.
And at the same time, it's interesting that Luca also found with Joan something that he had lacked until that point; someone who, along with the team, managed to make him feel comfortable AND seen. Because Joan is someone who is similar to him, not a star or ego machine but another introvert that just loves riding and tries to make a name for himself, but it's exactly that which allows him to make him feel less in the shadow of someone else, because feeling like that is something both have went through.
(about his relationship with Mir, Marini says he's confident in that it will be positive: “my relationship with Joan will be really good; we're two very similar guys, very introverted, that work calmly. We'll get along very well”)
And so, Luca ended up with a teammate who consistently praises him, notices his hard work, highlights what he does,
and that? that is huge, because Luca’s never been the one to stand out in his previous teams, and tbf he also never seeks attention, he describes himself as an introvert. Here, though, without even seeking it, he finally is seen, because Joan cares about his contributions to the team and to the development of the bike
Joan even asks Luca for advice on small things, he encourages him, he actually listens, he has shown that he values his contributions and thinks of him as someone who's smart and capable, small stuff that still does matter, because that's something you do when you trust someone, when you feel comfortable enough to do that without it affecting your own ego (which is rare in MotoGP, where a big ego is part of being a rider).
It is also a common denominator in MotoGP that teammates often see each other as rivals (or at least competition) instead of… well, teammates. And that's something that doesn't happen with these two. Achieving a relationship like that is something they both have cultivated, and that has been possible because this time there's no big pressure on it being a competition vs time about whether they can save Honda before the team hits rock bottom, like it was when Marc was his teammate. This time, the team was already at the worst of places, so they were able to build the future with no expectations, in a much calmer environment, and that has worked wonders with the way their relationship has developed.
Because if they're not competing against time and each other, they can actually get to appreciate and support their teammate, and that's what's been happening with the Honda duo this season. And among that, what makes me so emotional is the fact that, again, without even expecting it, they've found the perfect teammate in each other.
And why is it so important for the two of them?
For Luca, with the background he comes from, having someone that recognises his efforts, his contributions, what makes him indispensable for Honda, really is something. Because, maybe, for the first time, it's making him feel at least a bit like the main character he's never been before. Like a genuinely essential piece of the project and the team’s future. And they’re also having fun while doing the heavy heavy duty of rebuilding Honda together! They get along well. They laugh together. Furthermore, they find common ground, from being dads and husbands, to similar personalities, to both loving anime, etc.
And for Joan, the place where he is with the team and with Luca right now is something so so important too! Because, even though Joan said he learned a lot from being Marc’s teammate, he didn’t really form a partnership with him. For many reasons, but mainly because:
Marc was always Honda's priority. Yes it was the same shitty bike, but Marc’s position in Honda was so respected that neither Joan nor other riders were capable of changing the decision making process, so they had to ride around what was best for Marc.
2. Keeping up with Marc's his rhythm was impossible anyways. Being Honda's best ever rider and a born winning machine is just something that was impossible to replicate for any of his teammates.
3. Halfway through that season Marc had one foot out of Honda, it wasn’t his problem any more, but it was Joan's future. Joan was left carrying the progress and expectations for next season’s factory team alone.
(lol at joan basically telling jorge to shut the fuck up about his shitty bike)
Imagine being in that position, and with a bike that fucking sucks. That man was scared as hell for the future and in an almost traumatic time of his life: have a look at Joan’s quotes from that time, (btw around the first tests with Luca) and you’ll feel the absolute nightmare he had gone through, barely a slight ray of hope for what was coming:
''I have suffered so much, so much, that I refuse to dream'' my fucking god.
And maybe that's why, this time, he is in such a better place with the bike, with Honda and with the progress both riders have achieved that he does now have time to ring the bell. To dream a little bigger. To appreciate the time he's having, and with that, and the relationship he has grown with the man that’s at the other side of the box, who has made this frightening path to the future much gentler and less painful; Luca. In fact, not only does he care about him, but he also likes him as a person. “He's a cool guy” .
(*Describing his crash with Luca*
-Has he accepted your apologies?
-Yes, of course he has, Luca is a cool guy)
(Joan about Luca's injuries after a heavy fall while testing for the Suzuka 8-Hour in may, 2025)
Ultimately, they share the same mission: develop Honda. And these two seasons, the 2024 season especially, they've been rough, full of setbacks, but they’ve had each other through it, sharing the small joys and the chaos from this tiny frontline of hard work and suffering.
And now, it's the end of the 2025 season, and what we have seen over these two years is Honda slowly making progress thanks to two riders who suffered so much with that bike but chose to actually work together to make it better. They committed, they hoped, and finally, finally, they can see light at the end of the tunnel!
Start of 2024 (they will have work hard, a lot and well, but they see things in this bike) Vs. End of 2025 (Joan Mir leads Honda and they see the light at the end of a long tunnel)
And now? they’re at a point where, in the last races of the season, they were able to even set new goals and aim higher again. The way things have changed has been insane and, honestly, so beautiful to watch.
And that’s why Honda's new step in the concession rank matters SO much, and soooo much for Joan, because now he can see a future he can actually smile about. A future that wasn’t handed to them btw; one they fought for together with great effort, pain, setbacks, teamwork, and a lot of desire to work towards a common goal and make a name for themselves at Honda, by getting the bike back to something actually competitive.
And what is the best way to prove it other than the fact that Honda finally got out of the very bottom. Joan can smile again. They scored the points needed to climb. And the poetic icing on top? The nine points that made the difference in the last race were earned by… his teammate, Luca Marini.
Just movie-like shit, isn't it?
