Suzuki wants out, but Dorna is resisting
Suzuki wants to make a shock departure from Motogp at the end of the 2022 season in an unexpected twist to this year’s ‘silly-season’ talks, but series owner Dorna Sports has put up a barrier to its exit.
The Japanese manufacturer informed its race team during Monday’s test at Jerez following last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix of its decision to leave the series. At the time Autosport went to press, Suzuki had yet to confirm the news, but Dorna issued its own statement saying no decision to quit can be taken unilaterally since Suzuki is bound to a five-year contract that began this year.
Suzuki last quit Motogp at the end of 2011, having been active in the series as a factory team since 1974. It cited financial reasons as it felt the effects of the global economic recession that struck in 2008.
Should Dorna agree to let Suzuki quit, it says it has “high levels” of interest from independent teams and “official factories” about joining
Motogp, and that interest was reconfirmed between Autosport first running the story online and Dorna’s statement. It is unclear who these parties are.
Joan Mir (above), the 2020
Motogp champion, is now set to replace Pol Espargaro at Honda next season, while the future of three-time race winner
Alex Rins is uncertain.