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2021 MotoGP World Championship
Round 15
Grand Prix of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
Sunday 3 October 2021
21:00
Joan Mir, the reigning MotoGP World Champion, has admitted that his hopes of successfully defending the title are all but over ahead of Round 15 of the current season, the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on the evening of Sunday 3 October.
Mir, who has not won a race this season but has managed five podium finishes, finds himself 67 points adrift of Riders’ Championship leader Fabio Quartararo and with only four rounds of the season remaining.
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Mir was hoping to make up major ground on the Monster Energy Yamaha rider in the previous round, the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix, but he could come home in sixth place, with Quartararo finishing second behind his only true remaining title rival, Francesco Bagnaia of Lenovo Ducati.
This has left the Spanish Suzuki pilot angry that he will almost certainly be ceding his crown after just one season: “’m a bit angry because I know my potential of this year and I’m angry because I’m riding better, I’m making less mistakes, I’m a better rider and I will not get the championship. It’s difficult to understand,” said Mir.
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Instead, Mir and Suzuki will turn their attention to improving the bike and giving themselves a better shot at glory in 2022: “But, what also I have to say is making me happy is Suzuki is going in the same direction. We all see what is happening and I believe that they are pushing as hard as they can,” he explained.
“We can think that the next races are like a pre-season, like every race is an opportunity to give some information and make some improvements on the bike that for sure we need.”
Riders’ Championship standings
1 – Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha, 234 points
2 – Francesco Bagnaia, Lenovo Ducati, 186
3 – Joan Mir, Ecstar Suzuki, 167
4 – Johann Zarco, Pramac Ducati, 141
5 – Jack Miller, Lenovo Ducati, 140
Teams’ Championship standings
1 – Monster Energy Yamaha, 329 points
2 – Lenovo Ducati, 326
3 – Ecstar Suzuki, 235
4 – Pramac Ducati, 216
5 – Red Bull KTM, 211
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