Suzuki confirmed last week that longtime team manager Brivio will be leaving the Japanese manufacturer after leading the squad for the past eight years.
That came days after Motorsport.com announced that Brivio would be leaving Suzuki to take on the role of CEO of the renamed Alpine Formula 1 team in 2021 – although this has yet to be made official by Alpine and Renault.
Brivio brought Rins to Suzuki in 2017, with the Spaniard winning three races since then and helping the brand to the team title last season.
In an exclusive interview on Motorsport.com’s Spanish-language MotoGP podcast, Rins announced that he learned of Brivio’s departure the day before the announcement and admits that this surprised him.
“To be honest, I saw the news all of a sudden without barely knowing it,” said Rins of Brivio’s departure.
“He called me the day before the announcement. He told me he was leaving the team.
“At first I thought it was a joke, but it’s true and I was very surprised.
“He did an amazing job for Suzuki and now he’s starting a new adventure.”
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Rins added, “We have had and still have a very good relationship. The truth is that I am very grateful for everything he has done over the years and that he gave me the opportunity after a tough 2017 [in Moto2] with many injuries and that he continues to trust me. “
Motorsport.com reported Tuesday that Suzuki will not seek a replacement for Brivio in 2021 but will instead opt for an internal reorganization to split up Brivio’s previous responsibilities.
Brivio’s influence on Suzuki has been immense, but Rins doesn’t expect his departure to have a dramatic impact on the team’s “harmony”.
“I don’t know what it may or may not affect,” he said.
“But of course there will be a void that Davide has occupied. It sure will [have an] Effect, but I don’t think negatively.
“The harmony with the team is unbelievable and he succeeded in part. It will change because that Davide character won’t be there, but not by much. “
On Tuesday, MotoGP announced that their pre-season test in Sepang had been canceled due to COVID-19, although the three-day Qatar test in March is still ongoing.
Rins admits the news came as a shock but doesn’t think that just the Qatar test will put him so badly at a disadvantage, as the 2020 GSX-RR is carried over to this season as part of the COVID cost-saving measures introduced last year.
“If you tell me we have to start the year with a new engine, a new chassis, it would be more complicated,” said Rins.
“But at the start of the season with last year’s motorcycle, I think three days of testing in Qatar will be enough.
“At least for me; I don’t know if it’ll be that ideal for drivers like Pol [Espargaro] or [Danilo] Petrucci, who has to get on a new bike.
“But in my case, I think we’ve had enough.”
Rins also announced that he hadn’t had off-season surgery on his shoulder injured at the Spanish Grand Prix in July after launching the idea late last season.