Let's talk MotoGP: Álex Rins wins, MotoGP cries

Sunday Alex Rins has – again – imposed itself, and always with total indifference. Somehow it makes sense; international production, more focused on the players in the championship, would have gained nothing from showing the exceptional race of the ex-Suzuki official, in the lead from start to finish, or almost. This victory, more than all the others this year, leaves a bitter taste.

I) Best Rins of all time?

From Phillip Island, Rins is transformed. If we mentioned him in the elements to watch after his great Sepang race which went under the radar, no one could imagine that he would steal the show again from the Ducati and Marc Márquez, expected favorite.

Starting fifth after passing through Q1, he had a mature race, and set his pace throughout the event. Moreover, it even seemed untenable since the group behind, having reached halfway, was noticeably falling behind. From then on, we imagined more Jack Miller, Marc Marquez et Jorge Martín catch up with him. Moreover, two of these three thieves made mistakes on a track which, as usual, caused many retirements.

 

 

The question then arises: Have we not seen the best version of Rins in the premier category evolve at the very end of the season? It's far from impossible. For this, we would have to compare his comeback during the 2020 championship and his three consecutive podiums. However, in this particular season he had very good results on only two different tracks, with a titled machine in the hands of Joan mir. In many ways, this is disappointing, because given his talent, he should have played all up front that year. In 2019, Álex also won two races, including a legendary one at Silverstone. But he never showed himself as confident as during these last three Grands Prix, as if liberated, on a machine which had not played anything since his injury.

II) What a shame

Suzuki's year is wasted. We will have the opportunity to talk about it again in our retrospective of each driver's season, but it is clear that this victory in particular hurts more than the others.

Immediately, the Spaniard confided that the brand could not “finish the season better”. In fact, we suppose it couldn't have ended in a worse way. Suzuki is showing the whole world, by withdrawing from the competition with a winning machine, that MotoGP is no longer as attractive as before.

 

 

It's hard to admit it. But the rise in power of European manufacturers could not be achieved without the descent into hell of the Japanese, which began in 2017 with the major decline of Yamaha. Certainly, you will tell me, pilots have come to compensate for this cruel lack of involvement in the land of the Rising Sun, with Mir et Quarterly notably. In reality, these titles poorly reflect the appearance of the championship and these two men, with Márquez, were the trees that hid the forest. Since 2017, what have Japanese manufacturers offered in Grand Prix? Never, even over a series of four to five races, has one of these firms shown itself in its best light, relying too often on individual exploits. Even KTM is showing much better progress, when Yamaha, in its development, is stagnating and experiencing numerous problems since the departure of Jorge Lorenzo.

What a shame to see such a beautiful machine, so efficient, leave now, when Rins was entering, at only 26 years old, the best period of his career. Our thoughts are with all the teams, the mechanics, the engineers, who must helplessly watch the withdrawal of the brand at a key moment. “The need to concentrate efforts on the major changes facing the world of motorized industry”, the reason given by the Hamamatsu firm, could well undermine the very integrity of the field and the sport in the years to come.

We are not here to determine whether the act is legitimate or not, you are free to form your opinion.. But we can only regret that a manufacturer, so important in the history of Grands Prix, leaves while still being at the best level. This is an extremely rare occurrence, all categories combined.

This is why this success of Rins, so symbolic, is sadder than anything else. It is the victory of sport, of man, against the decisions of the pundits. It is the cry from the heart of a wonderful machine rebelling against its bosses. Emotional upon arrival, Rins already knows that bad days await him. Will we still see this exceptional driver triumph, he who will find a Honda (apparently) poorly born, sometimes out of the points race? Hard to say.

What did you think of Álex Rins' performance in Valencia? Tell us in the comments !

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport