Valencia Grand Prix Will Be Suzuki's Last Race in MotoGP, Who Will Fill the Void?

Earlier this year Suzuki took everyone by surprise after rumors about its MotoGP exit spread all over the Internet. While the company denied those rumors at first, an official confirmation of the fact came later on. The company has expressed its intention to focus on other initiatives for sustainability, but that didn't do much in terms of comforting the hardcore fans of the team. Still, this kind of exit is not the first one for the Japanese company. After competing for several years with no major achievements, Suzuki withdrew from MotoGP at the end of the 2011 season.

The team would return a few years later, in 2015, with Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro riding the GSX-RR. Vinales would go on to win the 2016 British Grand Prix. But the next win for the Hamamatsu team would be signed by Alex Rins in 2019. The following season went considerably better as both riders managed to score one victory each, and an additional nine podiums. Joan Mir became World Champion, while his teammate finished in P3 overall. Things have started going downhill ever since. Joan Mir barely took third in 2021, while Alex Rins finished in P13.

The tables have turned for 2022, and with the most recent victory scored by Rins in Australia, he is now eighth in the overall standings. Mir has had a difficult season so far and is only P15 before the last race. Both of them have managed to secure a spot in MotoGP for 2023, and they will be making the switch to Honda motorcycles.

As Suzuki departs the World Championship, you can't help but think that this time it may be for good. Dorna has mentioned that there is still a high level of interest from other factories and independent teams looking to join the series, but it will still be strange not seeing the white and blue team on the start grid anymore.