The one-lap attack speed was not a strong suit for the Suzuki, with Mir being the first world champion since Wayne Rainey in 1992, who won the title without pole position last year.
Suzuki’s only Pole since returning to MotoGP in 2015 remains Aleix Espargaro’s top spot in qualifying for this year’s Catalan GP as he led a Suzuki 1-2 ahead of Maverick Vinales.
In both races in Qatar this season, Mir did not get into Q2 straight from practice and was only able to achieve positions 10 and 9 on the grid in both races.
“We have a lot to do,” said Mir of Suzuki’s qualifying form.
“We’re far but we’re getting closer and we know the areas where we need to improve because it’s really difficult for me to set a good lap time.
“I have to drive differently and it is not a given that I drive like this to set the lap time.”
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Still, Mir finished 10th on the grid at the Qatar GP and was cruelly second on the run to the finish line of two Ducatis, while his pace in the Doha race was strong enough for the podium – although he could only make it seventh after several collisions .
The Suzuki’s ability to be gentle on their tires allowed both Mir and Alex Rins to have generally low qualifying performances in 2020, but the former admits that improving Saturday’s results is “one of the most important things”.
“I’m much more nervous and stressed on Saturday than usual on Sunday,” he added. “It’s something we need to fix because it’s not normal to be very far from our rivals on one lap.
“In the end, when you see them [race] Our pace is always really good, we drive really well. But what is not normal is for our rivals to improve for a second and a half [in qualifying]
“Well, we have to work on that. The natural style doesn’t help me either, my natural style.
“I’m usually very aggressive and usually you have to be aggressive to set a lap time. You have to push, but in the end you have to be aggressive on the brakes and that’s something I have.
“But with this bike you have to be really smooth and really relaxed.”