Why Suzuki's quest for a new MotoGP boss may be too late

Suzuki's delay in hiring a new team manager for its MotoGP project following the departure of Davide Brivio for Formula 1 has had a series of consequences, all of them negative. The team that has lost not only the competitiveness that led it to the title in 2020 with Joan Mir, but also its main strength: unity.

In recent days, the rumours of Brivio's possible exit from the Alpine F1 team he only joined this year have grown louder, fuelled by the statements made by its CEO Laurent Rossi a couple of weeks ago to Autosport. The executive had a golden opportunity to defuse these rumours, but failed to do so.

Instead, he simply said that Suzuki's alleged interest in the return of its former team manager was merely a credit to the professional value of Alpine's head of racing, who joined at the express wish of Renault group president Luca de Meo.

"Davide's future will evolve in the organisation that I decide, following the changes that I will implement at the end of the season," Rossi told Autosport. "In this respect, he is no different from the rest of the staff." 

At the last MotoGP round in Valencia, when asked if Brivio was among the candidates, Suzuki's top official Shinichi Sahara was blunt in his response: "Davide is my friend, and sometimes I talk to him on the phone, even during the grand prix. I want him to succeed in F1, and maybe in the future we will work together again in the same garage."

But it won't be next year. As to when the signing will materialise, the engineer hopes to make it official "before Christmas, because I don't have much time," he told this writer. But after Brivio's departure, precise information is conspicuous by its absence.

Despite Sahara downplaying the possibility of an imminent Brivio comeback, there are members of the Suzuki set-up who privately do not rule out the possibility of their former boss returning, even if he must first resolve his relationship with Alpine. This underlines the gap that has opened up between Suzuki's all-Japanese leadership and the operational group, almost all of whom are European.

Davide Brivio, Racing Director, Alpine F1, and Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

The delayed arrival of the person to reconnect the two sectors has already taken its toll. Just 12 months on from celebrating its first MotoGP title in two decades, after Kenny Roberts Jr in 2000, it now appears to be totally stagnant with no momentum to withstand the change of pace imposed by Yamaha and Ducati. Between them, they have shared 13 of the 18 victories on offer in 2021, while Suzuki has not been able to take a single one.

Suzuki learned of Brivio's departure to F1 at the end of December, and it was considered too late to hire anyone from outside to replace him. As a countermeasure, it was decided to set up a committee of seven people who would divide up all the management tasks. However, the reorganisation did not work, and the formula that sought to encourage internal debate ended up creating more mistrust than common ground, to the extent of compromising its unity.

Everyone at Suzuki felt part of a big family that has been going through a bad patch for weeks, even months. This lack of vertical communication has generated a detachment that whoever arrives will have to address with urgency.

Sahara's choice is vital, and not only because the whole team has been waiting on it for a long time. It is also because several things may depend on the identity of the successful candidate, among them the rider line-up for 2023 and beyond

The diagnosis made by the majority is the same: the lack of someone who takes responsibility for making decisions and is easily identifiable to everyone. He or she can be right or wrong, but they need to be clearly tasked with being the decision-maker on certain aspects that are important.

In recent months Sahara has sat down with Wilco Zeelenberg, who will continue as team manager of the Sepang Racing Team (renamed RNF), his Pramac counterpart Francesco Guidotti and with SRT's outgoing sporting director Johan Stigefelt. Alternatives have also emerged including former Honda and Ducati team manager Livio Suppo, who has been out of the paddock since 2018.

Sahara's choice is vital, and not only because the whole team has been waiting on it for a long time. It is also because several things may depend on the identity of the successful candidate, among them the rider line-up for 2023 and beyond.

Both Mir's and Alex Rins' contracts expire at the end of 2022, but the mood in which the two have arrived at the end of this year differs considerably.

Rins is acutely aware of the importance his individual mistakes have had on his points tally: he finished 13th with 99 points, 40 points less than he accumulated in 2020 (when he finished third) despite four fewer grands prix being staged. On seven occasions he has failed to score points, too much of a burden for someone who approached this world championship with the aim of fighting until the end to win it.

Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Mir on the other hand contends regularly that he can do no more, making it clear - albeit elegantly - that the ball is in Suzuki's court. Particularly painful was his fourth place finish in Valencia, in a race he was convinced he could win. The Mallorcan, who finally finished third in the standings, had to make efforts not to lose his composure. What he could not hide was the anger and impotence that ran through his veins.

"I haven't had a good time this year," said Mir, for whom the identity of Suzuki's next team boss will be decisive in his decision whether or not to continue in the blue leathers beyond 2022.

"I haven't enjoyed the races too much. I have demanded a lot from myself to do my best. I couldn't have done better, but I expected more. I'm here to win, not to fight for the podium."

Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images