Suzuki "will be more united than ever" after Brivio exit
Suzuki MotoGP project leader Shinichi Sahara says the marque will be "more united than ever" in the wake of team manager Davide Brivio's shock exit.
The Japanese manufacturer announced last week Brivio would be stepping down from his role as team manager after eight years, with Motorsport.com revealing he is set to become CEO of the Alpine Formula 1 team.
Suzuki won't replace Brivio in 2021, with Sahara instead taking on some of his responsibilities as part of an internal restructuring.
In an interview released by Suzuki, Sahara says the "love" for the brand will continue to drive the MotoGP team onwards in 2021 despite Brivio's exit and doesn't believe it will affect preparations for the coming season.
"When Davide told all the team staff, everybody was shocked, of course," Sahara said.
"But before long we turned our minds towards the next steps to overcome this situation together.
"We will be more united than ever because we all love this brand, this team, and we will give 150% to carry on with the new challenges in the best way.
"In my opinion it should not affect anything from now on. We will be working as we know how, and even more than before now that we've won the championship.
"Our attitude has never changed: we will aim to fight for the title again with our two strong riders [Joan] Mir and [Alex] Rins."
Brivio helmed Suzuki from 2013 ahead of its MotoGP return in 2015, and helped guide it to its first world title in 20 years courtesy of Mir last season.
Both Mir and Rins thanked Brivio on social media last week for giving them the opportunity to join Suzuki, with Brivio a devout believer in promoting and nurturing young talent.
Despite being an instrumental figure in their careers at Suzuki, Sahara doesn't believe Brivio's departure will have much effect on either Mir or Rins during the 2021 season.
"It will not affect our riders' ability to fight for the championship," Sahara added. "We are already champions and we have two young, talented and great riders.
"They know how to deal with troubles or difficult situations and manage the pressure all the time.
"I'm not worried at all from this point of view. They are both super professional and ready for the 2021 championship."
Share Or Save This Story
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
The MotoGP philosophy Suzuki's "madman" installed that Honda and Yamaha can't
Mir: No publicity campaign will replicate what MotoGP gave Suzuki
Rins was ‘crying on the grid’ before taking Suzuki’s farewell MotoGP win
Racing Bulls "not in a rush" to decide between three "fantastic" drivers for F1 2027
Mandalika gravel traps under fire again after Fabio Quartararo tumble: "They have to do something"
Marc Marquez: Ducati “cannot hide” from half-second deficit to Aprilia in Indonesian GP
"It should be banned" - F1 drivers still divided over cooling vests
The contrasting tactics used by Ducati and Aprilia in MotoGP 2026 title fight
Five things we learned from MotoGP Japanese GP after tyre drama
How to make two MotoGP grids with a single qualifying session
What we learned from an emotional MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix
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.
Top Comments