After he Ducati red and Honda orange, it’s time for Suppo to dress up in Suzuki blue. His engagement as a team manager came a few days before the start of the season, and yesterday was Livio’s first day at work. He talked about it during his first press conference.
It’s been four years since his last time in the paddock, but it seems like only a few days. “I’m very happy from a personal point of view. So many people have come to greet me,” he said.
So you’re not as politically incorrect as they describe you …
“Mostly, I say what I think. If I don’t like something, you can see it on my face. So, I’m fifty-seven years old. I don’t think I’ll change my character, I’m sorry,” he said laughing.
Can you tell us about your return?
“Last year there were already rumors about me in Suzuki, but there was actually nothing concrete. Then a few months ago, I read an interview where Sahara said he wanted a team manager for this year. We first spoke in late 2021, but I wasn’t the only candidate. I thought there was a chance that Brivio could come back. I have great respect for the work he did starting from scratch, and I said that, if David were to come into play, then I would have backed out.”
Then what happened?
”Two weeks ago, Sahara called me and told me it was time to talk. I told him to send me an offer. The next day, we had an agreement. It didn’t take me long to decide, but before the deal was sealed, I didn’t think about it much. I didn’t want to feel bad about it,” he laughed. “In the end, I understood the opportunity only when there was one.”
How many years is the contract for?
“Enough,” he laughed. “I can say that it’s not a year. That wouldn’t be sufficient time for such a job.”
What was your first impression of the team?
“In the MotoGP, I’ve always been lucky to work with very strong riders, and I think that Mir and Rins are too. Even the bike is competitive. As a team, there’s a great atmosphere, and it’s thanks to David’s work. The first objective is to maintain this harmony.”
One of the first problems you’ll have to face will be that of renewing the riders …
“Give me time. I still have to remember the name of all the people on the team,” he said laughing. “Surely, the priority is to keep both Joan and Mir on board. But I think, like in the past, it’s better to wait for some races. Even though I should be the last to say it, I had Marquez sign for Honda a year earlier … .”
Is there anything that surprises you in Suzuki?
“I only joined to the team yesterday, but the first impression is that it’s a nice compromise between Honda and Ducati. They’re a Japanese constructor but with an Italian attitude.”
Those two teams, which you know well, had different budgets than Suzuki.
“Dorna, has done a good job over the years, which has made it possible to reduce costs, like with the introduction of the unique control unit. Suzuki has enough resources to make a good bike, like they’ve demonstrated, and the same goes for choosing the riders. In Formula 1, the higher the budget, the more the possibilities. But, in the MotoGP, it’s not like that. Anything can happen.”
They say this will be the most battled championship ever.
”I experienced the Doohan era, then Valentino, the magnificent fourm, and Marque. Right now, it doesn’t seem possible that someone can dominate like in the past, at least not on paphe. I hope Marc is at his best. I’m very close to him, but I don’t think he can have a season like 2014.”
There will be 8 Ducatis lined up. Are they too many?
“First of all, I think we should all be happy to have twenty-four bikes that are all more or less competitive. Certainly, the riders are worried about so many Ducatis being up front, since they’re very fast on the straight, but it’s best to have them on the team than non-competitive bikes.”
Some are worried about the technological trend the MotoGP is following. Do you think you need to put a stop to the performance capacity of the bikes?
“Logically, all engineers are working on continuously improving, but I believe that a compromise must be found to reduce it. If I think about the first MotoGP, in 2002, the difference with the current ones is huge. It’s normal, but the circuits are always the same, and we can’t widen the ride-off areas again. I don’t think that if all the bikes were slower than a second per lap, the show would suffer.“
You know that for years there has been talk of a Suzuki satellite team…
“Yeah, but honestly, I haven’t talked to Sahara about it yet. I also think that KTM has done a good job in recent years in the lower categories. It would also be useful for us to develop the riders in the Moto2.”