Suzuki rejected "defending champions” mentality in 2021
Suzuki boss Shinichi Sahara says his team took the decision to come into the 2021 MotoGP season to “not be defending champions” and instead “be challengers again”.


Joan Mir guided Suzuki to its first MotoGP title since 2000 last year, with the Japanese marque also winning the teams’ championship.
But its title defence was difficult, with Suzuki coming away from 2021 without a win and Mir only able to score six podiums across 18 races due to the GSX-RR’s lack of development compared to the 2020 bike.
Reflecting on Suzuki’s 2021 season, Sahara said: “We achieved the riders’ title last year and teams’ title also.
“Compared to this, it has been very difficult, a very tough season for us this year.
“Before starting this season we decided not to be defending champions, we decided to be challengers again to achieve the top position of each race.
“But as a result, we had some difficult moments in the middle of the season and also the first half of the season.
“Fortunately we had two strong riders still. Joan is very consistent still and has speed.
“We need to have something small to achieve more speeds and results.
“As everyone knows, the Suzuki sometimes struggles for qualifying results. It costs our race results, so it’s very difficult."

Shinichi Sahara, Team Suzuki MotoGP
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Suzuki underwent a major management reshuffle ahead of the 2021 season when talismanic team manager Davide Brivio quit to join Alpine in Formula 1.
Project leader Sahara became the de facto team manager, with Suzuki electing against a direct replacement for Brivio and instead employing a seven-person management committee.
Sahara admits his new role in 2021 was overwhelming for him and is in the process of finding a replacement for Brivio – though last month ruled out the Italian making a return.
“My new role as a team manager, it was way too much for me,” Sahara said. “It’s overflowing. But everything was done correctly with support from team members.
“So, I am very satisfied in that area. I’m trying to make a new structure for next year, to invite a new team manager for next year. This is in the final stages to fix.”
Related video

How Quartararo cast aside prior doubts to become MotoGP's new king
Rossi has fondness for all his “special” MotoGP rivalries

Latest news
“Proper send-off” for MacNeil after Rolex 24 win in GTD Pro
Jules Gounon says that winning at Daytona was an appropriate way for co-driver Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
HPD boss "amazed" by GTP reliability in Rolex 24 at Daytona
The boss of Honda Performance Developments has expressed his amazement at the high levels of reliability demonstrated by the all-new GTP prototypes in last weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
After much anticipation, the new dawn for sportscar racing got underway with a result that mirrored the pattern of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's previous DPi era. Here's how Acura once again took top honours in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with a 1-2 led by Meyer Shank Racing.
Why WTR Acura lacked pace to beat MSR in Rolex 24 showdown
Wayne Taylor Racing's Filipe Albuquerque admits that he knew it would be a tall order to beat the sister Acura of Meyer Shank Racing in the closing stages of last weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew members absorbed into other operations.
How one MotoGP team went from title challengers to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is Marc Marquez ready to reclaim his MotoGP throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Motorsport.com.
How MotoGP's underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Motorsport.com why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of more competition than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
Luca Marini: Why he's more than just Valentino Rossi's brother
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Motorsport.com – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend.
Ranking the top 10 MotoGP riders of 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Motorsport.com picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.