Vermeulen could look beyond Suzuki

The Australian wants to remain loyal to Suzuki but says he has to put his own career first, which could mean switching brands if the Japanese manufacturer is unable to up its performance for next year.

"Suzuki gave me my break in MotoGP, I came here as a factory rider," Vermeulen told AUTOSPORT. "I've had some very good times with them and I've had some bad times, but my goal is to be world champion.

"I am looking to be on the best motorbike that is going to give me the chance to be world champion, whether that's a Suzuki next year or another brand, I haven't made a decision on that yet. My goal is to win races for myself.

"Riders in the past have stayed too long with bikes that haven't been the best and that is something I have really got to consider for next year. I can't afford to... well, from my point of view I don't want to have another year like this year. I want to be fighting for podiums week-in, week-out not for the second last row of the grid."

But Vermeulen is hopeful that Suzuki will be able to take a significant step forward in the remainder of this season, beginning at Brno next weekend.

"There have been very small differences in our bike which I am frustrated about because I was hoping for a lot more to come, but we haven't been able to make the best out of the one-make tyre at the moment.

"Our main Japanese boss who I have got a lot of respect for, Shinichi Sahara, was the head at the race track before he was promoted. He is very high up in the factory now. He has been working hard back there, but we haven't seen him for a while. He is coming to Brno and I am hoping he is coming with a bag full of goodies for us to try."