The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP

The news that the Japanese leadership of Suzuki had communicated last Monday, following the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, to its team that it was going to quit MotoGP at the end of 2022 fell like a shell among the troops. Many of those present took hours to process the information received, both for the consequences it will have in each of its individual cases, as well as for the surprise it provoked.

No one, not even team manager Livio Suppo, who was hired less than two months ago to lead the project, could articulate a single word due to his stupefaction. His "no comment", in response to the journalists who went looking for him once Autosport released the scoop was the perfect reflection of his state of bewilderment.

Although the Hamamatsu-based manufacturer is yet to release an official statement, it is expected to sadly confirm the dismantling of one of the best planned and executed MotoGP programmes of the last decade. In those 10 years, Suzuki has left MotoGP twice. The first, at the end of 2011, a consequence of the financial crash of 2008; the second will materialise once the chequered flag falls at the final grand prix of 2022 in Valencia on 6 November.

In both cases, the project leader was Shinichi Sahara, who was also in charge of conveying the decision to the team in Jerez. The most tangible difference between the two episodes lies in the fact that, while on the first occasion the championship was already over when the news broke, this time everything comes to light when three quarters of the calendar has yet to be disputed. This will clearly cloud the atmosphere within one of the most professional outfits during the next grand prix in France.

The disbelief of the whole paddock in knowing the path Suzuki is taking was considerable. Of course, that disbelief was magnified within the team itself. And in part, this disbelief is understandable if we take into account the contract that, in theory, cemented the participation of the manufacturer in MotoGP through to the end of 2026.

Suzuki's shock decision to quit MotoGP comes despite an invigorated 2022 bike

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The statement that Dorna Sports, the promoter of MotoGP, made public last Tuesday, in which it warns the 'deserter' of the legal and economic consequences that it will have to face, only emphasises the feeling of sadness that the whole affair provokes. This is just one more indication of the nonsense that makes this whole situation so difficult to understand, especially if we take into account the latest moves made by the racing department of the brand, and its considerable advance in performance from a difficult 2021 to the start of this year's championship. After all, Alex Rins arrived at the Spanish Grand Prix sharing the lead with Fabio Quartararo in the overall standings having scored two podiums in the first five rounds and made a heroic recovery from 23rd to fourth in Portugal.

To begin with, no one in their right mind would hire an executive like Suppo and offer him a two-year contract if they had a slight suspicion that the closure of the whole set-up was an option to contemplate. Both Suppo and Sahara sat down several times in recent days with the agents of Rins and Joan Mir to negotiate the renewal of their deals. Instead, both riders learned of Suzuki's intentions 15 minutes before the rest of the team's employees.

The disbelief of Suzuki's departure is understandable when taking into account its contract that, in theory, cemented the participation of the manufacturer in MotoGP through to the end of 2026

Prior to this bombshell, the discussions with the riders appealed to the general post-coronavirus context, and the instability caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, to justify a reduction in their salaries. Although the first talks did not go too well, subsequent contact opened a door to optimism - an optimism that will eventually be reduced to ashes.

Apart from the human drama behind such an exit, the impact it will have on the rider market, which was already kicking into gear, will be seismic. Mir had been saying since the start of this year that his intention was to remain in blue. But Suppo's initial reluctance to give in to his demands made the 2020 world champion start to consider a move. Today, everything seems set for the #36 to join Marc Marquez in the official Honda team from 2023, a move that will put Pol Espargaro on the hunt for a new job.

Given that at this point in the story it is practically impossible to predict which colours will be worn by whom, it is surely somewhat less random to focus on the teams and the bikes that will be on track. Massimo Rivola, Aprilia's Grand Prix CEO, told Autosport a few days ago that he wanted to "study" the feasibility of creating a satellite structure "if an interesting offer comes along".

2020 MotoGP champion Mir is expected to tie up a move to Honda

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Before this bombshell went off, RNF had already moved to explore the possibility of partnering with Aprilia and leaving Yamaha. However, the fact that a human group as competent as Suzuki is now facing an uncertain future may alter the plans of Razlan Razali, who in just over three years has gone from being the visible face of the success and strength with which the Sepang Racing Team (SRT) broke into MotoGP (2019), to star in an irremediable free-fall: the best positioned rider of his is Andrea Dovizioso, 20th, with eight points, two more than Darryn Binder (21st), his rookie team-mate who stepped straight up from Moto3.

The only positive aspect of the situation is the early stage at which Suzuki communicated its decision to quit offers the championship promoter, Dorna, a wide margin of time to manoeuvre in the preparation of the 2023 grid. It can do so without rushing and thus can consider the best solution to avoid damaging the sporting value of the event - seeking the arrival of a new manufacturer or private teams of solvency.

In a single year, the ratio of available riders to available bikes will have changed dramatically. At the end of 2021, one could get the feeling that there was a lack of riders capable of being competitive with top level prototypes, now the opposite is the case, and it would not be inconceivable that an illustrious rider could be left without a bike.

Where will Rins go? What will happen with Franco Morbidelli? Are the renewals of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales by Aprilia in danger? The departure of Suzuki will ensure that the other teams and factories will be able to fortify when it comes to tightening the screws on anyone who wants to join, and that applies to both riders and employees who, unfortunately, are the weakest link in this unfortunate outcome.

Suzuki's riders were left in the dark over the team's decision to leave MotoGP

Photo by: Dorna