MotoGP, Rins: “Brivio’s departure from Suzuki came as a shock”

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: “Due to the health emergency relating to Covid-19 we can’t got to Malaysia and I’m sorry because last year we weren't able to race there. I can’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’ll be giving 100%”.

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: “The races will be hard-fought, in a way we’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’ll get a lot of laps in ahead of time”. The schedule will see riders staying in Qatar for about a month, with Rins commenting: “I’d prefer to stay somewhere else, because there’s not much to do there and it’s very hot”.

A separation is never easy

The latest news regards Davide Brivio’s departure and Rins had this to say: “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”. For now, the Hamamatsu manufacturer has decided not to replace him: “I think it’s a good thing, it’s not easy to quickly choose a team manager”. As for their personal relationship, he adds: “I’ll miss him, we would talk a lot, joke around, he’d give me advice. He was a key figure, he was always there and he'd reassure you or give you what you needed with just a glance. I hope he comes to visit us at the races”.

As well as wishing Davide all the best, the Spaniard adds: “I’m sure he’ll do well in Formula 1. He created our team from scratch. It’s true that there’s a lot more people, but he has the means to do it”. And if Rins had known about this before renewing for two years? “I would have renewed anyway. Suzuki is like a big family. Unless he’d told me there was a place for me on his Formula 1 team” (he laughs).

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The upcoming season

The Catalan rider is ready for the new season: “I’m even more motivated and want to bring the title home and do well. I’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”. As for 2020, he muses: “Seeing as I couldn’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”.

Rins concludes with a reflection on 2020: “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’m 100% fit”.

The big unknown will be Marc Marquez: “We don’t know about his condition, there’s a lot of talk but we don’t know the truth. I hope he’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’s very talented and you can learn from him”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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