In 2023, Joan Mir stepped into his first MotoGP season without Suzuki, joining Repsol Honda after the conclusion of Suzuki’s project.
He came in a challenging period, finding one of the least competitive bikes on the grid, which inevitably reflected negatively on his performance. Consequently, Mir finished only 22nd, marking his worst season in the premier class by far.
Carlo Pernat rated Mir a 6 and elaborated on his assessment in an analysis for GPOne.com: ‘After Suzuki’s departure, he got his first chance with Honda. Probably, if he could go back, he wouldn’t do it. I give him an insufficient rating not because of poor races he had, but because he missed two GPs due to a fractured finger: it demonstrates that he didn’t believe, or perhaps he was a bit «afraid» in riding that bike’.