        Many rumours are circulating, some reliable and others less so, all of which relate to the MotoGP riders&rsquo; market which opened already at Qatar and is about to explode this summer. A decisive step in terms of future contracts came following the announcement that Suzuki is set to withdraw from the championship. Alex Rins is of course involved, as is Miguel Oliveira, despite the latter competing for KTM. Two important announcements are expected over the Assen race weekend. Everyone wants Rins, LCR will get him  Alex&rsquo;s name has been heard almost everywhere. Any possible attempt to save team Ecstar would have also involved the Barcelona rider, with talk of a theoretical move to KTM. It then looked as if the Spaniard were destined for Aprilia RNF, with team bosses appearing close to making a decision. Later on, after the rider chatted with Ducati and was spotted in various hospitality units, the news emerged that Honda was keen to have Rins, although not on the factory HRC team, where his current team-mate Joan Mir, is headed. Alex would instead compete with the LCR four-cylinder. At this point of the season, it looks certain that Rins will form part of Lucio Cecchinello&rsquo;s satellite squad, although this is still to be confirmed on paper. It is very likely that the official announcement will be made this coming weekend. Oliveira, didn&rsquo;t you want a Honda? For Miguel, two years with Aprilia RNF  In truth, Miguel was expected to move to Honda LCR, something we previously wrote about, and not as a joke. But Aprilia RNF has apparently been more prompt and determined in its negotiations with the Portuguese rider, who currently rides for the factory KTM team. Oliveira is expected to ride the RS-GP for the satellite team, with sources who work with the Noale manufacturer considering this a likely proposition. Likely, but yet to be confirmed, with an actual contract still to be signed. And so we await official confirmation regarding Alex Rins... The Dutch GP comes right before the summer break and, for both sponsors and riders alike, heading off to the beach (or mountains) knowing what they will race for the next two years and for whom gives them a real sense of serenity. While Miguel will race for RNF for two years, during 2023 and 2024. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: 2022 is becoming a nightmare for Morbidelli       

Alex and Miguel seem destined for Honda LCR and Aprilia RNF, though the agreements are yet to be confirmed. The Assen weekend could prove decisive for both &nbsp;

Rins and Oliveira: a guaranteed future in MotoGP, but no signatures yet

        There are still twelve rounds to go and the season is yet long, but the two Suzuki riders are having a tough time of it lately. Neither Alex Rins nor Joan Mir were able to reach the finish line at the French and Italian events, which means that the gap between them and the championship leader continues to grow eight races in. From farewell to four DNFs for Suzuki  Rins now lies 53 points behind leader Fabio Quartararo, positioning sixth in the standings, while Mir is 66 points back, currently tenth overall. Disappointing performances, which come on the back of a weekend during which Suzuki announced its plans to leave MotoGP at the end of the season. The Italian GP should have provided the team with an opportunity to bounce back, but we can only hope that the upcoming Barcelona round can lift the spirits of the riders, so that they can conclude this MotoGP chapter in a positive light. Two positive notes according to team manager Suppo  &ldquo;It was a very difficult weekend&rdquo;, admits team manager Livio Suppo, who adds: &ldquo;This is definitely not what we expected, but we&rsquo;re happy that Joan and Aleix are both OK&rdquo;. It&rsquo;s time to turn the season around, the next opportunity coming at the Montmel&oacute; circuit: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s positive that we&rsquo;re heading to Barcelona straight away, as we can quickly put this weekend behind us and aim for something exceptional at a track both riders enjoy&rdquo;. The duo have generally done well in Catalonia, and this could be the track at which they can fight back with renewed vigour and an even stronger bond in the face of adversity. Translated by Heather Watson Italian GP, Aprilia and RNF Racing: the satellite team deal is done       

Having failed to score points at both Le Mans and Mugello, Alex Rins and Joan Mir begin to drop back in the championship standings &nbsp;

GP Mugello, a second double DNF for Suzuki: the tough times continue

        Incredible and unexpected news that could shake MotoGP and therefore impact on the riders&rsquo; market for next season &ndash; Suzuki could be about to withdraw from MotoGP once again, seven years after it officially returned in 2015, leaving Joan Mir and Alex Rins free to look elsewhere. According to Motorsport.com in fact, while the MotoGP tests were taking place at Jerez, the Hamamatsu manufacturer&rsquo;s management was meeting with members of the team headed up by Livio Suppo, communicating its decision to retire from the world championship at the end of the season. Up until now, Suzuki sources have not released any statements, but an official press release regarding the decision is expected soon. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Dall'Igna: &ldquo;Bastianini or Martin to leave Ducati? They should think hard&rdquo;        

The news, if confirmed, would be incredible, in that it would be the Hamamatsu manufacturer's second withdrawal, after having first left in 2011 before returning in 2015

Suzuki, farewell MotoGP at the end of 2022?

        Look out everyone, because the Suzuki silence is worrying. Worrying for their rivals, not for team Ecstar, which is doing well during this 2022 MotoGP season. Alex Rins lies second in the standings, Joan Mir fourth. And the gap to leader Enea Bastianini is small, just 5 points for the Catalan rider, 15 for the Majorcan. Right now, the GSX-RR doesn&rsquo;t excel in terms of overall competitiveness, but it has been consistent. And it is not actually slow, with the number 42 rider having already reached the podium twice, with a good third place finish at Termas de Rio Hondo, and an excellent second at Austin. The 2020 world champion has not yet scored a podium finish but we wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if he soon does. Mir may not have taken any risks until now, but he is able to harness the resources that both he and the Hamamatsu bike possess. Europa, the &ldquo;true&rdquo; MotoGP championship: Suzuki will attack  It&rsquo;s long been said that the real championship only gets underway with the European rounds. True or false, the statement has some sense, in that the teams and manufacturers have close ties to Europe, the riders are not forced to make long and tiring journeys, they train better and more often and they know the tracks inside out. Portimao and Jerez are two circuits where Suzuki can do well and score&nbsp;great results. Joan Mir scored two podiums in the Algarve last year for instance, proof that ability through the turns can make up for a lack of engine power along the straight. And we should also point out just how the GSX-RR engine has grown since last season, now more than able to transfer its horsepower to the ground and with top speeds in line with those of its rivals, better in some cases. If we add the first-rate frame and electronics, it is clear that team Ecstar will immediately be on the attack. Strong competition, but in peaks and troughs. The Suzukis are always there  From Qatar to the States, only European manufacturers have won so far. Ducati at Lusail, KTM at Mandalika, Aprilia in Argentina, and Ducati again at Austin. The Japanese manufacturers are yet to get off the line, if we&rsquo;re talking single race wins. And some are suffering more than others&hellip; Honda has stood out only in Doha, thanks to Pol Espargar&oacute;&rsquo;s podium. Yamaha shone in Indonesia, Fabio Quartararo strong in the wet. But Suzuki has done better, with two podiums for Alex Rins. No win yet, but there is real consistency. And substance. Even when things have gone badly, the GSX-RR bikes have still finished well within the top ten. And when they&rsquo;ve had problems, the riders have still scored solid points, improving each time out, even at supposedly unfavourable tracks. So, we say it again, look out for Suzuki. Portimao and Jerez will be good hunting ground for the team, with Portugal or Spain perhaps bringing the first win of 2022. Or, who knows, perhaps a fantastic double. And in that case, we&rsquo;d have no more doubts. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Enea responds to Pernat re a possible future with Honda       

Rins and Mir are building a solid championship. They haven&rsquo;t won a race yet, but Alex lies second in the standings, Joan fourth. Initial wins may come at Portimao and Jerez, good tracks for the GSX-RR

Look out for Suzuki, MotoGP outsiders: the title is possible

        Impressive top speed but (rather) disappointing end results. At the Qatar GP, the Suzuki Ecstar team didn&rsquo;t exactly reap what it had sown during winter testing and the first Lusail practice sessions. At both Sepang and Mandalika, the GSX-RRs demonstrated real improvement compared to 2021, and this was soon confirmed during the first timed sessions of the 2022 season. But then came the race, or rather the most important moment of the weekend, in which trophies and points are awarded. If we consider the final result on Sunday, we note that the gap between race winner Enea Bastianini and the team Gresini Ducati &ndash; an independent squad &ndash; and the best of the Hamamatsu four-cylinders was almost five seconds. Mir and Rins: limited gap in Qatar, but the podium was out of reach  To be precise, the 2017 Moto3 champion and the 2020 MotoGP champion finished the race 4.843 seconds apart which, over the course of 22 laps, means a difference of about two tenths per lap. Up until a few seasons ago, such pace would have seen the chasing rider battling for the win or podium, but this is no longer the case. The circle is extremely tight, and includes all those details that make up the perfect, or almost perfect, performance. Meanwhile, Alex Rins, seventh, only adds to the concern. The gap between the winner and the number 42 rider was essentially double that of number 36, 8.810 seconds according to the timesheets. And even this result was in part influenced by the Pecco Bagnaia / Jorge Martin crash. The two ducatisti were battling it out in seventh and eighth place when they fell, their double exit from the race to Rins&rsquo; advantage but also to his disadvantage, as he was unable to make use of any slipstream. The GSX-RR will be in the spotlight at Mandalika, a first shot at redemption  Indonesia will offer the factory Ecstar team a first opportunity to redeem itself. Pre-season testing and the arrival of Livio Suppo are highly relevant in this case, because the data collated at Mandalika and the new helmsman can both be of significant help to Mir and Rins. In the hope they are not distracted by any market considerations that is, seeing as both their contracts are up for renewal come the end of the season. Joan and Alex have clearly already spoken with the Suzuki managers of course, and also with other manufacturers. Might it be time to consider a change of team, or is it better to focus on the possibility of achieving the season&rsquo;s first podium? Only the riders can decide, but one thing is certain &ndash; in MotoGP, those who fail to focus on the race and result will fail to reach the front. And we don&rsquo;t write this simply in response to the seventh and eighth place scored by the GSX-RR in Qatar. This is always and unequivocably the case. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, is a renewal between Quartararo and Yamaha looking increasingly unlikely?       

Mir and Rins were quick with the GSX-RR along the straight but didn&rsquo;t shine come race day, their performance in practice seemingly a mirage. Mandalika provides team Ecstar with a first shot at redemption

MotoGP, we expected more of Suzuki in Qatar

With the last two seasons having been conditioned by Covid, this year promises a more &lsquo;traditional&rsquo; championship, with 21 rounds confirmed as things stand. 2021 proved to be a very complicated year for Alex Rins, and the rider is now more than ready to turn the page.  Rins: &quot;We need to be prepared&quot;   &ldquo;The championship will be very long, and then there&rsquo;s the Covid factor; if you catch it, you could miss a race. In my case, I&rsquo;ll try to make the most of every GP. Starting in Qatar&rdquo;. Which he will take on with a more competitive GSX-RR: &ldquo;One of the biggest improvements is the new engine. We&rsquo;ve taken a small step forward in that area. It&rsquo;s never enough though, we always want more&rdquo;. As for the calendar, the Spaniard comments: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re very tired by the end of the season, both us and the mechanics. We&rsquo;re all human. It&rsquo;s hard and we need to be prepared&rdquo;.  The level on track is higher than ever   The competition is tough, so much so that Alex is unable to identify just one rider as the man to beat: &ldquo;Almost everyone is competitive. We saw that last year and every year we see a more level playing field, we&rsquo;re increasingly close and so there&rsquo;s no room for error. It&rsquo;s hard to name one rider or bike that will win the title&rdquo;. As for Rins, he&rsquo;ll focus on working hard with his travel companion: &ldquo;The GSX-RR is an additional part of my life, another part of me. The relationship I have with the bike is one of affection, and provocation&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  GP Qatar, Joan Mir: &ldquo;I have a love-hate relationship with my Suzuki&rdquo; 

The Spaniard prepares for a new season with a more competitive bike, retaining the same approach as ever. He talks about the main difficulties &nbsp;

MotoGP Qatar, Rins: &ldquo;We have more power, but it&rsquo;s never enough&rdquo;

        If I think about Livio Suppo, one of the adjectives that comes to (my) mind is successful. He was there when Ducati won the title with Casey Stoner, he was there when Marc Marquez ran away with the MotoGP trophy with Honda. So the fact that Suzuki has now hired him as team manager looks to be a good decision on paper, and says a lot about the manufacturer&rsquo;s commitment heading into 2022. A fundamental figure  In 2020 the Japanese manufacturer was walking on air thanks to the extraordinary success of Joan Mir, who won the title in the year that Suzuki also celebrated its 100th anniversary. 2021 was then its first year without a team manager following Davide Brivio&rsquo;s departure, and it proved to be an uphill climb. There were various issues, the riders not always satisfied from a technical standpoint for example, but Suzuki has learned its lesson, realising that a team manager is essential. Mir and Rins welcome the arrival of the Italian  Hence, the decision to hire Livio Suppo, a manager with significant experience and who returns, after four years away from the paddock, with even greater motivation and a real challenge ahead of him. Will he be able to win with a third manufacturer? This is of course the goal, and both Mir and Alex Rins welcome him with open arms. On social media, the Majorcan comments: &ldquo;Welcome Livio, we&rsquo;ll be stronger working together&rdquo;. And the Spaniard echoes his team-mate&rsquo;s words: &ldquo;Welcome Livio, I can&rsquo;t wait to work with you!&rdquo; Basically, the riders couldn&rsquo;t be happier about the decision and are keen to get back to work. Suzuki has got itself one of the best team managers around, and now has all the ingredients to strike fear into its rivals once more. Translated by Heather Watson Moto3: Taiyo Furusato to miss the Qatar GP       

The Hamamatsu manufacturer learned a valuable lesson in 2021 and has now hired a standout team manager

MotoGP 2022: Livio Suppo, Suzuki’s trump card

        The Suzuki GSX-RR placed on the third and final step of the championship rostrum at the end of 2021, thanks to Joan Mir, who was nevertheless unable to defend his title all the way to the end. After a positive and consistent 2020, the new year didn&rsquo;t bring the desired results and it appears that this was largely down to a technical issue. With respect to the competition, Suzuki was very late to introduce the rear holeshot device and, up until that moment, Mir had only seen the podium on three occasions. A significant distance from the front  Mir scored a total of six podiums in eighteen races, not enough to be able to defend the title and take on Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia, but the Spaniard was at least consistent. Even when not at the front, he regularly scored significant points and only failed to finish one race, the French GP. But although he scored six podiums, there was no race win, and not for Alex Rins either. Neither of the riders was able to power the GSX-RR to the front, and at the end of the season Mir was 70 points from the new world champion. Not exactly an insignificant gap. Rins too far off the pace  Rins&rsquo; season was decidedly more challenging, with the rider rounding out the season in thirteenth place. His season can be summed up as follows &ndash; five DNFs, only one podium (at Silverstone) and an injury, sustained on the Thursday at Montmel&ograve;. The Spaniard scored less than half the points of Mir and, despite a happy interlude in his private life, when he became a dad to Lucas, he had a very hard time of it on track. So much so that he also finished the final Valencia race prematurely, just as he was battling for the podium. Looking forward  If we look at the final constructors&rsquo; championship standings, the Hamamatsu manufacturer placed third, behind Ducati and Yamaha, but 117 points from the front. Another significant gap. And so now the team must roll up its sleeves ahead of 2022 and work on the bikes in order to be ready for its rivals come February. It&rsquo;s never easy to prove oneself a second time, but Suzuki has what it takes and will try to do just that in a few months&rsquo; time. Translated by Heather Watson 2022 MotoE, the provisional calendar       

Joan Mir and the Hamamatsu manufacturer finished the season in third place. Here, an analysis of the Suzuki riders performance

MotoGP, 2021 was not Suzuki’s year

It was Gigi Dall&rsquo;Igna who conceived the holeshot, a device that other teams soon copied, but one that Suzuki is yet to adopt. The device reduces tyre degradation, generates greater aerodynamic load at the front and further reduces the anti-wheelie effect. The Hamamatsu manufacturer is yet to mount this significant new element on the back of its bikes, but riders Alex Rins and Joan Mir nevertheless hope to have it in time for the Austrian GP on 15 August.  &nbsp;In practical terms  How much is Suzuki losing without the holeshot? Rins explains to Spanish website As.com: &ldquo;Suzuki calculates it at each track. At the Sachsenring we were losing four tenths per lap, at Assen it was between three and four, the same as Qatar&rdquo;. Significant figures, which prevent Mir and Rins from easily closing the gap in the races. The Spaniard adds: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been asking for it for a long time. But the most important thing is that our bike is working well. Suzuki is working hard and will give us this new element only when they are sure it works well&rdquo;. Perhaps that moment is nearly upon us.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Ciabatti: &ldquo;We have two good opportunities in Austria&quot; 

The rear of the GSX-RR is not yet equipped with the innovative device and Rins talks about the effect this has on performance

MotoGP, Suzuki with no rear holeshot: the riders are keen to use it

        The first part of the season has not lived up to Alex Rins&rsquo; expectations. Having suffered four DNFs in the first six races, the Spaniard injured his right arm at Montmel&oacute; and missed the weekend&rsquo;s race, before undergoing surgery in order to get back on track as soon as possible. Keen to get back to the kind of performance he demonstrated at the opening Qatar events, number 42 is now ready to get back on his Suzuki GSX-RR at the German Sachsenring, a track that the Spaniard enjoys but not one at which he&rsquo;s scored particularly strong MotoGP results, at least until now. Rins: "I still have some pain, but I&rsquo;ll give it my all"  The rider doesn't hide the fact that he's keen to get back to work: "I&rsquo;ve visited doctor Mir for a check-up and I feel good, the bone is almost perfectly fixed. I still have some pain when I move my wrist, but I&rsquo;ll continue my recovery this week so that I&rsquo;m in the best possible shape for the race, where I&rsquo;ll do all I can to finally score a good result. We didn&rsquo;t race at the Sachsenring last year, so I&rsquo;m pleased to be back, and equally pleased to be back with my team and riding my GSX-RR". Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP Germany, Rossi keen to re-emerge at the Sachsenring       

Having missed the Catalunya GP due to injury, Alex will be back on his Suzuki at the Sachsenring. "My wrist still hurts, but I&rsquo;m pleased to be back"

MotoGP Germany, Rins ready to return: “I will push to the max”

Alex Rins is not having an easy time of it. The Spanish Suzuki rider has suffered four consecutive DNFs (the latest at Mugello) and lies just thirteenth in the standings with 23 points, fruit of a sixth- and fourth-place finish in the Qatar double-header.  The Montmel&oacute; race could have been an excellent opportunity for Alex to turn his championship around, for the better. But now, to &ldquo;aggravate&rdquo; the situation, the Barcelona native has suffered a cycling accident on track this morning. The result? He has fractured his left radius, which means he can&rsquo;t compete in his home race.  Team Suzuki have confirmed the injury in a brief press release, which states that Alex Rins will undergo surgery at the Dexeus clinic tomorrow to fix his left radius.  Translated by Heather Watson  Moto2: the fifth anniversary of Luis Salom&#39;s tragic death 

A bicycle accident proves costly for the Suzuki rider, who is forced to miss his home round at Barcelona

MotoGP Catalunya: Rins &lsquo;unfit&rsquo; for his home race

Last year, Joan Mir proved that he could fight for, and win, the title with a bike, the GSX-RR, that was largely developed by his team-mate Alex Rins, who has been with the manufacturer for longer, since 2017. Having finished third in the championship last season, 2021 is meant to be a comeback year for Rins, who&rsquo;s often said that he wants to bring the title over to his side of the garage, and yet last Sunday saw him make another of his classic mistakes.  MotoGP: a minute&#39;s silence to remember Fausto Gresini  &quot;A strange crash&quot;   While Rins&rsquo; first two races proved very positive and measured, the rider finishing sixth and fourth, Portugal brought a significant DNF. Just as he was fighting for the win, battling to keep pace with leader Fabio Quartararo and doing his best to put him under pressure, Rins found himself on the ground six laps from the end. &nbsp;The Spaniard (who is soon to be a father) commented: &ldquo;I had it all under control, the tyres, my breathing, my pace, everything. We checked the data after the incident and I did everything the same, so it was a strange crash&rdquo;. No logical explanation then, but the crash was reminiscent of those we saw last year in Austria and France. Perhaps the result of over-enthusiasm.  The title slips further away   Mistakes for which the rider pays dearly in the standings. He&#39;s now seventh, 38 points behind leader Quartararo and 15 points from his team-mate, who lies fifth. Mir ran a solid race to reach the third step of the podium (also thanks to his team-mate&rsquo;s crash). After a strong start, Rins does not appear to have learned from last year&rsquo;s mistakes. And these errors see his hopes of the title slip further away, particularly during a weekend in which he was quicker than Mir and in which he had qualified second. Definitely a wasted opportunity then.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP Portugal: Marc Marquez, the return of the injured warrior 

In Portugal, the Spaniard crashed while chasing race leader Fabio Quartararo, throwing away important championship points

MotoGP, has Rins not learned his lesson after last year?

        &ldquo;A rider will lose a second for every child born&rdquo;, said Enzo Ferrari, one of his many famous quotes and one that continues to be proved wrong as the years pass by. Times are changing in fact, and many riders are choosing to embark on the adventure of parenthood while still young, and with a long racing career still ahead of them. The confirmation  This is a trend seen in the MotoGP paddock for one, where Aleix Espargar&oacute; is the father to twins Max and Mia, who are almost three. The Spaniard is now riding a competitive Aprilia RS-GP and is showing real potential. Brother Pol already has a daughter and both Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales and Alex Rins will soon experience the joy of fatherhood. Cal Crutchlow was the first to become a parent, daughter Willow often joining him in the paddock during race weekends. She was born in August 2016 and shortly afterwards, at Brno, the British rider scored his first MotoGP win. And then there&rsquo;s SBK legend, Jonathan Rea. He has scored six consecutive titles and is happily married with two children, so yes, perhaps we can say that times have definitely changed. Translated by Heather Watson Troy Bayliss: &ldquo;MotoGP is becoming more like Moto3&rdquo;       

An increasing number of riders in the reigning class are deciding to become parents at the height of their careers, Vi&ntilde;ales and Rins the latest to join the 'club'

MotoGP contradicts Enzo Ferrari’s theory

Between one Portimao training session and the next, aboard a standard Suzuki and joined by current Moto3 champion Albert Arenas, Alex Rins has offered some initial thoughts on the 2021 season, which has already seen changes in terms of testing. The Sepang sessions have now been cancelled and the Suzuki rider admits: &ldquo;Due to the health emergency relating to Covid-19 we can&rsquo;t got to Malaysia and I&rsquo;m sorry because last year we weren&#39;t able to race there. I can&rsquo;t wait to start and am giving it my all in the gym in Andorra, and also with the MX bike. It will be another strange season, but I&rsquo;ll be giving 100%&rdquo;.  Qatar expectations   The first two rounds will be held in Qatar, with the same Losail track set to host the two pre-season tests just a few days earlier. The Spaniard comments: &ldquo;The races will be hard-fought, in a way we&rsquo;ve never seen before at that track, with real parity. Those with the biggest advantage will be the rookies and those changing bikes, because they&rsquo;ll get a lot of laps in ahead of time&rdquo;. The schedule will see riders staying in Qatar for about a month, with Rins commenting: &ldquo;I&rsquo;d prefer to stay somewhere else, because there&rsquo;s not much to do there and it&rsquo;s very hot&rdquo;.  A separation is never easy   The latest news regards Davide Brivio&rsquo;s departure and Rins had this to say: &ldquo;He called me the day before the media found out. I was driving back from my holidays. When he told me I thought he was joking. It was a big shock, for me and the whole team&rdquo;. For now, the Hamamatsu manufacturer has decided not to replace him: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a good thing, it&rsquo;s not easy to quickly choose a team manager&rdquo;. As for their personal relationship, he adds: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll miss him, we would talk a lot, joke around, he&rsquo;d give me advice. He was a key figure, he was always there and he&#39;d reassure you or give you what you needed with just a glance. I hope he comes to visit us at the races&rdquo;.  As well as wishing Davide all the best, the Spaniard adds: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure he&rsquo;ll do well in Formula 1. He created our team from scratch. It&rsquo;s true that there&rsquo;s a lot more people, but he has the means to do it&rdquo;. And if Rins had known about this before renewing for two years? &ldquo;I would have renewed anyway. Suzuki is like a big family. Unless he&rsquo;d told me there was a place for me on his Formula 1 team&rdquo;&nbsp;(he laughs).  MotoGP, Chicho Lorenzo: &ldquo;Brivio will be successful in Formula 1 too&rdquo;  The upcoming season   The Catalan rider is ready for the new season: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m even more motivated and want to bring the title home and do well. I&rsquo;d like to maintain the good rhythm we had during the second half of last season. The first rider you want to beat is your team-mate&rdquo;. As for 2020, he muses: &ldquo;Seeing as I couldn&rsquo;t win it myself, I was pleased for him (Mir) to win, and that the title came home, but now I want to do it. I hope for the same kind of sportsmanship in the garage that we had last year&rdquo;.  Rins concludes with a reflection on 2020: &ldquo;I still get angry when I think about the mistake I made at Jerez, which prevented me from doing well. You learn from these things anyway, and now I&rsquo;m 100% fit&rdquo;.  The big unknown will be Marc Marquez: &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t know about his condition, there&rsquo;s a lot of talk but we don&rsquo;t know the truth. I hope he&rsquo;s back for the first race and gets back into the rhythm of racing as he always does. I like having him on track. He&rsquo;s very talented and you can learn from him&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Brivio reveals: &ldquo;Suzuki wanted Valentino Rossi&rdquo; 

As he awaits the 2021 pre-season tests, the Spaniard talks about what he expects from season-opener Qatar and discusses Marc Marquez

MotoGP, Rins: &ldquo;Brivio&rsquo;s departure from Suzuki came as a shock&rdquo;

        Having triumphed during the 2020 season, Joan Mir brought the world title home to Suzuki. They hadn&rsquo;t celebrated such success in Hamamatsu for exactly twenty years, since American rider Kenny Roberts and Garry Taylor&rsquo;s team won the 500 championship, characterised by two-stroke engines. In the current four-stroke reigning class, Davide Brivio&rsquo;s Ecstar team has shown to be the most balanced. The Majorcan rider and his team-mate Alex Rins have a relaxed, harmonious relationship as they work towards the same goal: achieving the number 1 plate to affix to what is perhaps not the quickest or most powerful bike on the grid, but rather the best exploited. The GSX-RR. Will Joan tell the world he&rsquo;s the best or will he keep his #36? What is certain is that the 23-year old will have to defend himself against many rivals who are ready to beat him this coming season. But his most dangerous rival is on the inside. Namely, 25-year old Rins, a rider who had to deal with a serious injury this season. Without that, he might well have done better than third overall. Same number of wins, double the podiums for Mir and 3 &ldquo;zeros&rdquo; apiece   Joan and Alex scored one win each, at Valencia and Arag&oacute;n respectively. Not a lot, if we compare this with the three wins of Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo, who placed second and eighth overall. Yet despite the Suzuki riders reaching the top step just twice, Mir&rsquo;s performance in terms of podiums gave him a distinct advantage, the youngster achieving six, while the more expert Rins scored three. This was the first difference in terms of the overall result. They both suffered the same number of &lsquo;zeros&rsquo;. Three. For #42, the problems came at Jerez, Austria and France, while the current champion suffered at Jerez, Brno and Portimao. During such a short and intense season, every result made a difference. MotoGP, Mir: &ldquo;We've written history with Suzuki&rdquo; 2021 title contenders  There could well be many, and so we apologise for those we don&rsquo;t mention. But let&rsquo;s look at the most likely contenders. Quartararo, because he&rsquo;s moving to the factory Yamaha team and will (hopefully) have learned from his mistakes. Maverick Vinales, because he wants to beat his French team-mate at all costs. Pol Espargar&ograve;, perhaps. The Spaniard will line up with HRC, but he will have to get to grips with the &lsquo;strange&rsquo; RC 213V, while the team awaits the return of Marc Marquez. As the eight-time champ&rsquo;s recovery time remains an unknown, his candidacy for the title looks to be a mirage. Jack Miller will be wearing factory Ducati colours for the first time and, as he himself has said, he&rsquo;s aiming high. Morbidelli, why not?! Franco missed out on this year&rsquo;s title by just three points. And who knows, without the Stiria racing incident, the outcome may have been very different. Valentino Rossi, more a no than a yes. Or rather, it would be great to see him out front again and he too hopes for this. Otherwise, he would have stopped. And then there&rsquo;s Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder, or rather the KTM duo who already tasted success in 2020 and are looking for that step up in quality. Meanwhile, Danilo Petrucci is in the same boat as Pol Espargar&ograve; and will need to understand, acclimatise, and try. MotoGP, is Quartararo ready to take Rossi's place? Here&rsquo;s why Rins is Mir&rsquo;s main rival   Alex already knows it all very well, from the manufacturer to the bike, team, technicians and even his team-mate. We repeat that (perhaps) without the injuries he sustained at Jerez, the resulting DNF and the recovery time, Rins could have done more in 2020. In fact, he would certainly have done more. The Catalan knows Suzuki&rsquo;s strengths and weaknesses, in terms of the project and mentality, and the same goes for Mir. Rins knows how to deal with Joan and won&rsquo;t have to study him, instead focusing on his other rivals. Yes, Alex Rins knows it&rsquo;s possible to win the MotoGP championship with Suzuki. It won&rsquo;t be easy for Davide Brivio to manage such a high-level in-house rivalry, or actually, it will be easy. Because every team manager would like to have this kind of &lsquo;abundancy issue&rsquo;. We can&rsquo;t wait for the season to begin. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Davide Brivio: &ldquo;Sometimes two riders are not enough&rdquo;       

Alex takes on his fifth consecutive season with Suzuki and, having seen his team-mate Joan Mir secure the title, he knows the feat is possible. His strongest rivals will need to familiarise themselves with a new bike or team while the Catalan already knows it all

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