The former team manager of Ducati, Honda and finally Suzuki in MotoGP, Livio Suppo, gave his opinion on the new Grand Prix format. He is one of those who are not in favor of it, stating in particular that the renewed interest in the discipline which was sought and which was observed in Portugal is a dangerous illusion which will be difficult to maintain over time. . The path taken worries him more than reassures him about a future that could do without Japanese manufacturers.
Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant dampens the mood from the start of a MotoGP season which must be a success to look forward to the future with peace of mind. The stakes are high and promoter Dorna has chosen a new format to meet it. The first practical work was carried out at Portugal, which effectively revealed a meeting that was, to say the least, eventful, the echo of which carried all the way to theArgentina which will be the second of 21 battles in the 42 games scheduled for the year.
Public chat GP One, the Italian lends himself to the game of evaluating the new situation by beginning his remarks thus: “ it was obvious that the sprint was going to be spectacular and, from this point of view, it met expectations ". However, he is not happy with this first impression: “ the problem is that the current format is excessive, as it places drivers in the position to think little about the race and a lot about qualifying from Friday, which involves taking a lot of risks ". He specifies : “in practice, they have 3 qualifying sessions, 4 for those who go through Q1, which means doing 8 laps without loss of time from the first session. They are forced to take crazy risks without yet having the bike in place ».
Livio Suppo: “ why should Japanese manufacturers spend money and also look like fools? »
Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant then makes this remark: “ It's like giving a dangerous toy to children. They have difficulty understanding it. Whether there are other injuries or not, they will be sold out at the end of the season. This seems too heavy, especially considering that Sunday is the most important event of the weekend, which gives the most points. Saturday is a day with an excessive format from the psychological and physical point of view of the drivers. Try to think from a psycho-physical point of view what the last two months will be like ».
On the appearance of the Sprint race that Fabio Quartararo described as " jungle ", the Italian declares: " during the first sprint, they were all hot. I hope that as the races progress, the drivers will realize that they will have to save time, not have accidents and therefore let them all calm down ». But he knows them well… “ However, hoping that the drivers will brake themselves seems difficult to me. Perhaps they will understand that by giving their all, they will not be able to make it to the end of the season ».
And so how does he see the future? “ The risk is that in the next 3 years, things could get even worse. If interest in the world championship does not reverse its trend, certain manufacturers, particularly Japanese, could decide to leave. Why should they spend money and also look like fools? ". A question which raises the subject of future regulations after 2026, discussions of which have already begun.
