Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo The MotoGP World Championship is played in the last race of the season in Valencia. All eyes are on who will put their name on the tower of champions, but at the same time, everyone is looking at the box that will no longer be in 2023: Suzuki’s.
The Japanese brand surprised everyone by announcing its departure from the championship after the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the season. The news shocked the paddock and was completely unexpected by most. Although Japanese leaders warned Livio Suppoteam boss, who were leaving at the end of the season, some team members found out about the news through the press and many ended up devastated.
The surprise was capital. The team had achieved in 2020, with Joan Mir, his first title in 20 years, but just two seasons later, with one of the most competitive bikes on the grid, they decided to say goodbye. Without warning, the team stopped competing for the following year and they all found themselves without a job in 2023 and began to look for their future.
Its pilots were forced to go to market. Both Mir and Álex Rins have only raced for Suzuki during their MotoGP seasons, so both had to face their first negotiation outside the Hamamatsu brand. And both found accommodation in the same factory: Honda.
Mir did it in the official team, Repsol Honda, and will have as a partner Marc Márquez. For his part, Rins will do it in the LCR, the satellite team in which he will accompany the Japanese Nakagami.
This season has been difficult for the team. Despite a good start to the season, after the news, they progressively declined until falling to fifth position (out of six) in the constructors’ championship and to eighth, with Rins in the drivers’ championship. Nevertheless, have been able to say goodbye with a victory this seasonprecisely that of the ’42’ in Australia, as a nice farewell to the team while waiting for what may happen in Valencia.
Suzuki’s nice gesture to his fans
Suzuki has been characterized as the brand with the most loyal fans of MotoGP. In the vast majority of races they fill some of the stands with blue and they wanted to make a gesture with all their fans. During the Valencia Grand Prix, the last one they will compete in, they have filled their entire garage with messages from fans with phrases of affection and respect for the brand. Even Aleix Espargaró, a former pilot of the brand, has appeared on the Suzuki mural.
Joan Mir also wanted to make a nice gesture with his entire team and will wear a photo of all the Suzuki mechanics on his helmet at the time they won the World Championship in 2020.
The farewells of Mir and Rins
Obviously, the Suzuki riders wanted to have some nice last words for the brand. Rins, after six years with them, said goodbye to them before the grand prize: “It’s an emotional weekend for us. It will be the last time we see Suzuki on track and I’m going to give it my all. If when I finish the race I have managed to give 100%, I will be satisfied with whatever result it is. We have done many good results, with good and bad results. More than leaving happy or sad, I leave knowing how I have ridden these six seasons. I understood why I made Suzuki lose points and why Suzuki made me lose points. I am satisfied with the work I have done. It’s been six super nice years“.
For Joan Mir, Sunday’s result is also important in order to say a good goodbye to Suzuki: “It is a very special GP because a stage is coming to an end and I am convinced that it will be a very emotional weekend for everyone. Motivation is high because I want to be able to close this stage with a good result and I think we would say goodbye in another way with a good result instead of a bad one.”
