“Harmony” in Suzuki MotoGP team not same since exit decision
Joan Mir admits the “harmony” within the Suzuki MotoGP team has changed in the wake of the Japanese marque’s decision to quit the series at the end of 2022.
The 2020 teams’ world champions and riders’ world champions with Mir have endured a torrid season since Suzuki made its decision to quit MotoGP at the end of 2022 following the Spanish Grand Prix.
At the French GP, both riders crashed out of strong positions, while last weekend at Mugello Alex Rins was taken out after a collision with Takaaki Nakagami – whom he branded as “dangerous” in a fiery outburst – while Mir slid out the grand prix moments later as he struggled with front-end of his GSX-RR.
After his disappointing Italian GP, Mir told the media that it has become clear to him that the atmosphere within the team is not as it was a few races ago.
“It’s not the first time I’ve had problems outside of sport, and I think I know how to separate things,” Mir said.
“But it’s clear that there isn’t the harmony in the team that there was before [Suzuki’s decision to quit MotoGP].
“We have to do something, because spending a year like this can be very long.”
Suzuki’s bombshell announcement has put two high-profile riders in Mir and Rins on the rider market for 2023.
Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Mir’s manager told Autosport during the French GP that his first offer from Suzuki in Portimao was “unacceptable”, but that the team was confident of improving the offer during talks at Jerez.
Now Mir looks likely to go to Honda alongside Marc Marquez in 2023, though Pol Espargaro branded this as “fake news” when asked about it at Le Mans.
When asked when a decision of his future was likely, Mir said: “I hope to announce it soon.
“I hope to be able to tell you things quickly, because it is very important for anyone to have their future secured.
“But right now, I can’t talk about this.”
Team-mate Alex Rins revealed during the Le Mans weekend that his management had been in talks with KTM about a switch, with Ducati’s Jack Miller also linked to the Austrian manufacturer.
At Mugello, Miguel Oliveira confirmed that KTM had offered him a move back to Tech3 for 2023.
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