Sources within the MotoGP paddock have said that on Monday morning, while preparing for the start of the one-day Jerez test, Suzuki were informed by management from Japan that their team would be stepping away from the sport at the conclusion of the 2022 season. The expectation is that there will be an official press release from Suzuki in the next 24 hours regarding the subject.
The cited reasons for the action are primarily financial, which makes sense. Suzuki have famously been one of the lower-budget factories in MotoGP, with only one team since their reintroduction in 2015 and budget cuts being one of the key priorities of new head Livio Suppo this season. The team has always ridden on successful results rather than finance, and the covid-19 pandemic surely cannot have helped with their particular situation.
The timing, however, is a bit of a headscratcher. Suzuki were individual and team champions as recently as 2020, and both Rins and Mir are currently in the top six of this year’s world championship. Listening to conversations from Suppo and the riders, it appears they were well on the way to re-signing both stars for 2023 and beyond, which would have been a continuation of their strongest lineup since the 1990s. For the head honchos at Suzuki to not recognise how close they are to repeat success is puzzling, and raises a lot of questions about their priorities.
Before I delve into the bigger picture and future of the riders and teams involved, I do want to take a moment to recognise the crew members and engineers involved in the Suzuki project who will now be out of a job come the end of 2022. While MotoGP loves to promote the riders and team bosses as the faces of the sport, it’s the pit crews that keep the bikes competitive, changing and adapting their setups to different tracks and requirements from their riders. With this announcement, there is an entire team’s worth of engineers and internal management that will be out of a job at the end of the season, and unlike the riders they will struggle to pick up a new position within MotoGP for 2023. It’s a cruel blow to be dealt, especially with such short notice.
So, what happens to the grid slots? The way I see it, there are three alternatives available. The first is that the grid simply shrinks back down to 22 spots, the same as it has been for a few seasons now. There is absolutely no requirement for MotoGP to field exactly 12 teams and 24 riders, so they could very easily drop the Suzuki team and not find a replacement. The second is that Dorna could find a new manufacturer to run in that spot, though this seems unlikely for a number of reasons. Given that all other manufacturers are currently one year into a five-year deal, it would require a big commitment from an outside force to step into the class, and the likes of Kawazaki have reiterated numerous times that they’re perfectly happy sticking to World Superbikes and ignoring the grand prix classes.
The third option, and the one I think is the most likely, is that Aprilia uses the free slots to finally bring on a satellite squad, something they’ve been desperate to do for a while now. Aprilia have been the talk of the town this season, losing their concessions in Spain after Aleix Espargaro took his third podium of the season, and the project feels as though it’s very close to stepping up as one of the top manufacturers in the class. Where the Italians are falling behind is actually in the amount of data they’re collecting – while Ducati, Honda, KTM and Yamaha all have four or more riders producing information, Aprilia still has just two. A satellite squad would be a welcome addition to the fold, and a real statement of intent from the manufacturer for their future championship goals.
Then there’s the problem of the riders. Previously, the rider market for 2023 looked like it hinged singularly on Fabio Quartararo and his options to stay or leave at Yamaha, but both Mir and Rins are now free agents and incredibly high-value targets for manufacturers. The easiest one to figure out is Mir – The 2020 champ was already eyeing off a deal with Honda pre-season, and Suzuki jumping ship almost assures this move. Mir will step into the Repsol team alongside Marc Marquez, pushing either Pol Espargaro or Alex Marquez out of the Honda marquee.
Rins is a more complex issue. Unlike his current teammate who rides in a very aggressive style, Rins is a silky-smooth operator, and won’t fit in at the likes of Honda or Ducati. His best bet would be to stick with a bike that suits his riding style, which most likely means Yamaha or Aprilia. A spot in the new RNF team wouldn’t be terrible for Rins, especially if he can nail down a factory-spec bike rather than an older model, and since Aprilia have failed to secure either of their current riders for 2023 he could easily oust one of them given his track record. And if Aprilia does end up with two extra grid slots for 2023, then a satellite position with them might not be so bad either.
This situation is baffling and strange to me given where Suzuki currently sit in the championship, but it is also a rapidly evolving one, and will likely be the trigger to a mass of contract signings up and down the grid. I will endeavour to keep this blog updated with all the news surrounding this upcoming announcement, and as always if you have any questions regarding this bombshell news make sure to leave a comment so I can get back to you and answer.
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