Suzuki's exit at the end of the current MotoGP season is one of the news stories of the year. The Japanese manufacturer had signed a contract in November 2021 that allowed the GSX-RR to continue racing in the world championship until the end of 2026, but with the exit at the end of this year there is a hefty sum that Suzuki avoid spending over the next four seasons.
Before doing the maths on how much the Hamamatsu-based brand saves with this departure, Speedweek has discovered that each manufacturer that does not have a satellite team receives at the end of the season a sum of €500,000 (£424,011 or $526215 in direct conversion); those with a satellite team receive a figure of two million euros (£1,695,400/$2,105,210) annually, as does Ducati despite working with three teams.
Therefore, at the end of this year Suzuki and Aprilia will receive half a million euros each, and for the next five years that figure would rise relatively as up to 22 Grand Prix races are scheduled to take place. Regardless of this compensation - which always varies according to the number of GP's per calendar - Suzuki will save many millions by not racing in MotoGP over the next few years.
With an estimated budget of 30 to 40 million euros (£25 421 060 to £33 900 600/$31 583 700 to $42 099 200) annually, Suzuki will save around 120 to 160 million euros (£101 717 200 to £135 622 934/$126 335 640 to $168 447 520) if that budget were to remain stable until the end of 2026. Even if it is not known how heavy the penalty will be for not fulfilling a contract it signed about half a year ago, Suzuki should certainly allocate some of the amount saved to electric mobility projects.
However, with Suzuki being a brand that has been overtaken in the last decade and a half in the 'Super Sport' segment, an absence in MotoGP - which is still a marketing tool - could be detrimental in the medium and long term.
Comments / 0