“I am a little bit surprised because they won the championship two years ago” : Alvaro Bautista on Suzuki’s MotoGP exit

“I am a little bit surprised because they won the championship two years ago” : Alvaro Bautista on Suzuki’s MotoGP exit

Suzuki MotoGP riders Alex Rins and Joan Mir

Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP is the factory-backed team of Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Suzuki which is currently competing in the MotoGP World Championship. Back when Alvaro Bautista was riding for the team in 2011, they had announced that they will be leaving the sport. Later in 2013, Suzuki declared that they will rejoin the premier class of MotoGP in 2015. Since then they have constantly evolved over the past few seasons where they even won the MotoGP world championship with Joan Mir in 2020. The Japanese team won the title 20 years after it had first clinched it.

Suzuki made it’s unexpected announcement of exiting the sport to it’s team members during the one day test which occurred after the Spanish GP.  This decision shocked many in the MotoGP paddock including the big wigs at Suzuki who had absolutely no clue that this was happening behind their backs.

Alvaro Bautista had made his MotoGP debut back in 2010 with Suzuki and further stayed on as their sole rider back in 2011. He managed to get his best finish during the whole season in the Silverstone GP where crossed the line in fifth place. Suzuki had to resort to having a single rider due to major cutbacks happening because of the ongoing global financial crisis at that time.

FS Video

Read more : “It is difficult to understand,” Jorge Lorenzo on Suzuki’s shock departure from MotoGP

“So a mix, surprised, but at the same time they have done it in the past…” : Alvaro Bautista 

Alvaro Bautista

“I am a little bit surprised because they won the championship two years ago,” is what the 22-time WorldSBK race winner and current championship leader had to say.

“It seems this year they have a better bike, which they have improved on the engine side, so yeah, it is surprising.“Fortunately they let the riders know they will leave, because they told me at the end of the season, so I didn’t have time to react for another place.” 

“So a mix, surprised, but at the same time they have done it in the past…”

With this decision being announced without any warning, Alvaro Batista tells Mir and Rins to be thankful that the announcement was made early in the season and not during the ending stages as this is what had happened with Alvaro due to which he did not have enough time to find another seat.

Also read : Enea Bastianini Net Worth, MotoGP Salary, Endorsements, Girlfriend and more