Overseas media have reported that Suzuki will withdraw from MotoGP only in the 2022 season.
Suzuki has been the mainstay of MotoGP throughout the 500cc era and has won world titles with Barry Sheene, Marco Lucinelli, Franco Uncini, Kevinche Wants and Kenny Roberts Jr.
Suzuki continued when MotoGP switched to a four-stroke system, but did not make an entry for Alvaro Bautista from one in the 2011 season and withdrew due to financial difficulties at the end of the year.
After that, Suzuki rebuilt the project in a few years and returned full-time in 2015. Maverick Viñales won the Silverstone in 2016 for the first time since 2007, and Joan Mir won the world title for the first time in 20 years in 2020.
However, Suzuki’s top reportedly reportedly gathered all members of the MotoGP team on Monday and announced a decision to withdraw from MotoGP at the end of 2022.
This has shocked everyone on Suzuki’s MotoGP team, with official announcements expected to arrive within hours.
This decision uncertains the future of 2020 MotoGP champion Joan Mir and three-time race winner Alex Rins.
Joan Mir is reportedly likely to move to Honda in 2022 as Marc Marquez’s teammate on behalf of Pol Espargaro. Meanwhile, Alex Rins’ future remains very uncertain at this stage.
Suzuki suffered last year as long-time team boss Davide Breivio moved to the Alpine F1 Team. Project leader Shinichi Sahara took on the role of de facto team boss, but he admitted that he had too many roles and brought in 2022 former Honda and Ducati bosses Ribio Suppo.
Both Joan Mir and Alex Rins have only signed with Suzuki until the end of 2022, and Joan Mir said he intends to continue with Suzuki in the pre-season. Alex Rins also said in Portugal last week that Suzuki had shown him that he was keen to hold him in 2023.
Category: Category: F1 / MotoGP