Former MotoGP champion Joan Mir finished in the top♛ six 30 times as a Suzuki rider from 2019-2022.

As su🧔ch, he never expected to feel as happy about a seventh place as he did on Sunday in Aragon.

But after an eighth DNF of the season when he was taken out by Jack Miller in the Saturday Sprint, Mir admitted it was a big relief to claim his best Honda MotoGP result since fifth place in India 2023.

“Finally, we could fini൩sh the race with a more-or-less good result. I’ve never been happy with a seventh position in my career, but now I'm hap꧒py!" he said.

“We are in a very difficult situation🦩 and f൩inally being able to fight with these guys, we have to be happy about it.

“We don't have the t𝓀ools to do nothing more. So I wꦐill go to bed very calm with myself, knowing that I gave my 100%.

“We have to continue pushi꧟ng hard. We are doing a good job and we are in the process of coming back, bu𝓡t it’s not enough.

“Still we miss acceleration, top speed and grip. These are things we 🗹must improve.

“On the other hand, I'm happy because on braking, corner speed a🔴nd handling, we are in a very good moment. I'm able to fight and that is very positive.

“But ✅to do something more we must improve the top speed, the power of the bike and the grip.

“If not it will be difficult to ma🏅ke races in a better position than 7th, if nothing happens [ahead] like today.”

The str෴aight-line weakness was illustrated by Mir being ranked ahead of only Honda rookie Somkiat Chantra and Aprilia stand-in Lorenzo Savadori on the top speed charts at Aragon.

“W⛄hen you overtake, you are super tense, thinking that on the straight they will overtake you back!” he admitted.

“Theℱ relief, after one lap without being overta꧅ken, is massive.

“In practice, our pace alone is normally very good. It's acceptable. Close to the top fi🅠ve.

“But racing is another story.

“You have a lot of bikes arou𝓀nd and you have to fight with them and can’t always find a clear track.

“For example, Yamahꦫa in the past, if they started [at the front], they knew they hadꦰ the pace if they were alone.

“W꧋e don't start on pole position and we are not the fastest oꦍn track, so that complicates a little bit the situation.”

With Mir’s team-mate Luca Marini absent due to injury, and LCR’s Johann Zarco crashing, Chanta was the only 🍎other Honda finisher, in 16th.