Joan Mir to Miss MotoGP Rounds in Japan and Indonesia on Medical Advice

Honda says the 2020 champion has been ordered to rest for 15 days while doctors continue investigating the cause of his symptoms.

Honda has confirmed that Joan Mir will not compete at the upcoming Grands Prix in Japan and Indonesia. Dr. Angel Charte, MotoGP's chief medical officer, and the team treating the rider at Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona recommended the withdrawal after symptoms affecting Mir's energy and performance worsened in recent weeks. The Japanese round is scheduled for October 2–4, with the Indonesian event following the next weekend.

Charte has prescribed 15 days of strict rest plus rehabilitation, which keeps the 2020 world champion away from both Asian rounds. In a statement, he said Mir had dealt with multiple symptoms for several months and that no cause had yet been confirmed. Additional testing will follow before his condition is reviewed again.

The trouble surfaced at the San Marino GP, where Mir pulled out after five laps, having reported headaches and an energy shortfall he could not explain. He finished 20th in the Misano sprint and said afterward that he did not feel even 50 percent fit. He then skipped the Austrian GP while undergoing blood tests that Honda said showed altered parameters, though those results remain inconclusive.

Takaaki Nakagami substituted for Mir at the Red Bull Ring but cannot do so at Motegi because he is already entered as a wildcard rider there on Honda's RC213V, the last premier-class wildcard before the format is banned starting in 2027. Possible alternatives include Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro, back to testing at Mugello after a Sepang crash, and Cal Crutchlow, who previously raced the RC213V for LCR during Johann Zarco's injury absence. Honda says it will announce a replacement in due time.