Suzuki has yet to win a Grand Prix in its title defense season, with Mir currently 55 points behind leader Fabio Quartararo in fourth place after having only three podiums in the first nine races.
This season I was critical of the lack of progress made by Suzuki with its GSX-RR and admitted before the summer break that the current package was “not enough” to fight for the title.
In the offseason, long-time team boss Brivio switched to Alpine in Formula 1 as race director.
Brivio has been a talismanic leader for Suzuki since his comeback in MotoGP in 2015, but I don’t think his departure is why Suzuki fell behind its rivals in 2021.
Third place Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP
Photo by: Dorna
“I don’t think so,” he said in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com when asked if Brivio’s departure did more harm to the team this season than it thought.
“I think Davide certainly did a great job here at Suzuki. But I think it’s more like what I said: they couldn’t find any improvement, a technical improvement, a big step than the others.
“That doesn’t mean Suzuki doesn’t work – they work. And Davide wasn’t the one who made the specs.
“In this case, I think it’s more about getting better and everything because we’ve seen the others do better.”
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Suzuki decided against replacing Brivio, with the team working under a management committee led instead by Project Leader Shinichi Sahara.
Sahara-san told Motorsport.com that there are no plans to find a new team boss this year. Tells me he trusts this judgment.
“Well, I trust Sahara very much, and honestly, if he thinks so, it’s because it’s right,” he added.
“He’s the one who is now in charge of everything and is in the project and can see all the problems.
“And if he says that, there is a reason.”