Joan Mir discovered it: at Suzuki, we don't bother with frills when major decisions have to be made. We cut through the fat, we rush into the pile and we leave staff on the sidelines, paralyzed by the news of their job loss, struggling to bounce back. The questionable form will not change anything in substance: Suzuki will withdraw from MotoGP at the end of the year even though the brand had signed a lease with Dorna to stay until 2026. The Japanese will pay penalties. But the human and reputational cost will be even greater.
According to the information which is beginning to come out of this strong decision, and that is an understatement, Suzuki to leave the MotoGP scene at the end of this year, everything was sealed during a meeting on Tuesday afternoon in Jerez. In the middle of the test, a meeting was held by senior Suzuki executives with the management of the Suzuki ECSTAR team in the circuit paddock, a meeting during which Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant, team manager, and the rest of the team's official staff learned of this radical decision taken by Hamamatsu's top management. Neither Joan mir no more thanalex rins, were not present.
The manager of the 2020 World Champion with the brand that is Paco Sanchez is still having trouble getting over it: “ We never knew anything" , did he declare. " I haven't had any official information about the team. I wrote to several of his officials, but no one answered me. On Friday I was in Jerez, because Joan's priority was to renew with Suzuki, and we were there. We were with the contract very advanced, already at the end of the negotiation, and it was Friday. Imagine our reaction…”. The salary had even been set at 6 million euros until 2024…
« The team spoke with Joan Mir on Sunday to reassure him, to tell him that the priority was to renew it«
« I spoke with Joan Mir » continues the manager on Todocircuito. " He is worried, the news has also reached him. He was like me, in shock. Nobody expected it. The team spoke with him on Sunday to reassure him, to tell him that the negotiations with me were going well, that he should be calm and that the team's priority was to renew him. I have the feeling that even the team management was not aware of this decision ».
The fact remains that we will now have to react: “ we will have to move, find another team, the one that is available. It was not in our road plan, although people have already placed us at Yamaha, at Honda, in many places, Joan's priority has always been been on a Suzuki ". The transfer market will obviously be impacted by this new situation which also puts alex rins in the game.
