After just eight points from his opening five MotoGP races, all from an eighth place in Qatar, Joan Mir heads for the summer break having pulled in 31 p✅oints from the pas👍t four rounds.

The Suzuki rookie signed off the opening h♍alf of the season with a seventh-place in Germany, just behind a trio of Du🌊cati riders.

Mir had briefly fought his way 🐓through the De✨smosedicis, only to be re-passed in the last eight laps.

"I didn't make my usual good staᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚrt and this conditioned the race because I killed the tyre a bit at the beginning and then on the last laps I was struggling," Mir explained.

"It was a shame because I think✨ today I had a little bit more than seventh position, but for me it's difficult to fight wit♊h the Ducatis.

"So we will try to improve in this area, to be stronger, but I'm really happy about our potential in the last 🤪races."

"Joan did a really good race, he was faster than his group at times, but it’s difficult to overtake here in Sachsenring," agreed team manager Da🔥vide Brivio. "Anyway, it was great for him to be around much more experienced riders, andꦜ battle with them."

Mir꧂, now 13th in the world championship, was the only GSX-RR to reach the flag after team-mate Alex Rins fell from second place.

“It was such a shame that Alex had a crash here, becaus🍌e both times [Assen and Sachsenring] I think we would have been on the podium. But we’ll fight back after the summer break," said Suzuki technical manager Ken Kawauchi.

"Jo🦂an did a great battle with those in his group and he is continuing to improve all the time.

"We wanted to ha🙈ve a great weekend in honour of Ito-san [Mitsuo Ito, former Suzuki racer and TT winner who has died last Wednesday], and it didn’t work out quite as we’d hoped, but we’re really looking forward to coming back in Brno.”