Davide Brivio makes his last confidences before leaving for Formula 1 for high functions within the Alpine team. And they are interesting, explaining how he came to play a key role in Suzuki's triumphant return to MotoGP and on what criteria and other circumstances he made his rider choices. Among these, one was under contract without ever riding a Grand Prix on the GSX-RR: Johann Zarco…
Stories and destinies sometimes have nothing to do with MotoGP. So, to listen Davide Brivio on motogp.com, it seems that the successful adventure of Suzuki in the category is primarily based on misunderstandings and opportunities which were not initially those detected. Thus, the Italian humbly admits that if he was contacted by Suzuki from 2013, it is not to have a key function in the return of the brand to Grand Prix…
So, if Sahara, the project manager requested it, it was as someone close to Valentino Rossi who he was working for at the time, to find out if the Doctor would be interested in a part of the way with Suzuki. Vale then came out of his hard period Ducati and he finally favored a return home Yamaha . But the proposal raised awareness Davide Brivio who then offered himself to the Japanese. We know the rest...
An indirect trajectory that we also find in the choice of the brand's current drivers who are Alex Rins et Joan mir. So, if Davide Brivio was not initially a priority for Suzuki, the two Spaniards were not a spontaneous choice for the Italian either…
Indeed, it is Johann zarco who had, in 2016, the advantage of a contract over a alex rins who was finally chosen. Brivio said: “ we had a contract with Johann Zarco when he was still riding Moto2. Which means that during his last season in Moto2, he was under contract with Suzuki. We had to choose between Zarco and Rins who was starting to reveal himself as a talent. It was a difficult choice to make and ultimately we opted for Rins ».
« This has earned us a lot of criticism " remember Brivio. " Because in 2017, Zarco went to Tech3 where he showed himself very strong. He made podiums while Rins was unlucky and struggling with injuries. 2017 was disappointing, but in 2018 the Rins project did well and the talented driver showed himself and progressed ».
Davide Brivio recalls that Rossi, Zarco and Lorenzo were in the pipeline
But there was not only Red et zarco who saw the train pass Suzuki. There is also Jorge Lorenzo. But Davide Brivio preferred another Majorcan in the person of Joan mir … “ L’idée d’essayer un autre jeune homme comme Rins était dans l’air. Viñales, Rins… pourquoi ne pas en essayer un autre et nous avons commencé à penser à Joan Mir, parce qu’il venait de gagner le championnat Moto3 avec dix victoires, et cela a attiré mon attention”.
« During this time, we also had the option of signing Jorge Lorenzo. So we had to choose between Lorenzo and Mir. But it was not a choice between two drivers, but a choice of philosophy and direction we wanted to take: go with a veteran driver like Lorenzo, or develop a young talent " precise Brivio.
« The more we learned about Joan, the more special she seemed to us. He liked Suzuki but his manager told me there was a problem because he had an option with Honda. Alors je lui ai demandé directement : « Êtes-vous intéressé par Suzuki, quelle que soit l’option choisie par Honda ? Si vous deviez choisir entre Suzuki et Honda, où iriez-vous ? ». Et il m’a répondu : “Je veux aller chez Suzuki, parce que pour moi, la Suzuki est une moto qui s’adapte à mon style”. Et quand il m’a dit cela, mes yeux se sont allumés et je me suis dit : “C’est l’homme qu’il me faut ! ».
Brivio took big bets that paid off, and the echo of this resounding success was heard until Formula 1. Incidentally, with the approaches made to Red and Lorenzo, We observe that Suzuki was undoubtedly ready to make financial sacrifices whereas today, the team, ranked fifth out of the six competing manufacturers in terms of budget, emerges as the best value for money on the grid...
