Suzuki hires ex-Honda boss as MotoGP team manager

The 2020 teams’ and riders’ world champions have been on the hunt for a team manager since Davide Brivio – who helmed the Japanese marque from 2013 – departed to join Alpine as racing director in Formula 1.

With Brivio’s exit coming on the eve of the 2021 season, Suzuki elected to form a management committee of seven high-profile members of the team helmed by project leader Shinichi Sahara.

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But discontent grew within Suzuki without anyone filling Brivio’s void, with Sahara admitting at the end of last year that his new role proved too much for him.

Suzuki was dealt a blow last week when Alpine announced a new role for Brivio, ending hopes of a return to Suzuki for the Italian – with the marque revealing earlier this month that searching for a new team manager was taking longer than expected.

Suppo was team boss at Ducati when Casey Stoner won the title in 2007, before moving to Honda in 2010 – first as marketing and communications director – where he became team principal in 2013.

He left that role at the end of 2017, with Alberto Puig taking over at the helm of Honda.

Suppo’s name has been linked to the vacant team boss role at Suzuki for some time, with the marque confirming his appointment on Wednesday.

The Spaniard says the proposal from Sahara "came at the right time" and is pleased to return to the MotoGP paddock having been missing it for a while.

Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP

Photo by: Suzuki

“I am very proud to become Suzuki Ecstar’s Team Manager and happy to re-join the MotoGP Championship after four years," Suppo said.

"I’m also very honoured to be involved in this great project with Suzuki; for sure it will be a challenging task to be part of an historic manufacturer