FIM president: “Suzuki will come back - but I don’t know when”
The Japanese manufacturer stunned the paddock by announcing their swift exit from the championship at the end of the 2022 season.
Suzuki struck an agreement with Dorna to break a contract which was due to run until 2026, ending their seven-year stint after initially withdrawing from MotoGP.
But Jorge Viegas, FIM president, told MotoSprint he expects another comeback: “It's not easy. I spoke to Suzuki's number one in Japan, who told me they would invest in another type of engine.
“I think they will come back, but I don't know when.”
Asked how more major departures could be avoided, he said: “[We had] difficult years due to Covid, but now things are improving, and I think we could have some positive news.
“For example, I'm happy that Ducati has entered endurance racing: we have to create rules by collaborating with the manufacturers, since it's the only way to convince them to invest."
Suzuki’s exit came only two years after they won the MotoGP championship through Joan Mir.
They explained their decision to quit at the time: “Motorcycle racing has always been a challenging place for technological innovation, including sustainability, and human resource development.
“This decision means that we will take on the challenge to build the new motorcycle business operation by redirecting the technological capabilities and human resources we have cultivated through the motorcycle racing activities to investigate other routes for a sustainable society.”
Mir and Alex Rins, their rider duo last season, both joined Honda and the latter won his new manufacturer’s first grand prix in two years last time out in Texas.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
