Ten minutes with Suzuki MotoGP chief Shinichi Sahara

Following the news of Davide Brivio’s departure to F1, we asked Team Suzuki Ecstar Project Leader Shinichi Sahara about the plans for 2021 and the way forward:

A new era starts for Suzuki now that Davide has left the team. How did this breaking news impact you?

“It was shocking news. I really appreciate what Davide has done since he joined Suzuki; coming in at the start with the newly-created project and growing it to become a top team. For sure we are affected by it, but I don’t think we are going to lose the way without him, because we always looked at things in the same way and agreed on the direction to take. We also have expert staff to help us manage. I fully trust the team structure we have and the rest of the people who helped build it up.”

How is the feeling within the team after this announcement?

“When Davide told all the team staff, everybody was shocked, of course. 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.”

How could it affect the factory and team ahead of an important 2021 season, where Suzuki and Joan Mir will aim to defend the title?

“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, Mir and Rins.”

And how does it affect the riders?

“It will not affect our riders ability to fight for the championship. We are already champions and we have two young, talented, and great riders. They know how to deal with