until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
Reigning MotoGP world champion Joan Mir and team-mate Alex Rins have unveiled the 2021 Suzuki GSX-RR machine that they’ll kick off the season on, only hours ahead of the start of the championship’s first pre-season test in Qatar.
The bike sees the addition of Monster Energy sponsorship, adding new colours to the design but keeping the livery largely the same as last year’s striking blue-and-silver design.
Though fans had been worried that the addition of Monster’s green and black would ruin one of the most popular machines on the grid, it’s instead likely to be a hit thanks to the work done by Suzuki to incorporate its new partner.
“I like it a lot,” 2020 champion Mir said of the new livery. “It’s a little bit more aggressive, I think, with the Monster logo.”
The launch marks an important day for Suzuki as it prepares to get its first title defence campaign in twenty years underway, and does so without the direction of former team boss Davide Brivio, who dramatically moved over the winter break to head up Alpine’s F1 efforts.
However, despite the Italian’s departure, project leader Shinichi Sahara says that he’s confident that Suzuki is going to have another strong year.
“The 2020 was a fantastic season for us, as winning the world title for the rider and the team,” Sahara said.
“This 2021 season will be a challenging one for us, as we are aiming to achieve even better results than last year, but I’m confident that we will be able to take on this important role and fight to get great results.
“For sure we are facing a new era in our team, with the new organisation that we had to put in place: so I will be more present at the races, and I will be supported by all the team members in their respective responsibilities.
“We have grown a mature and solid team so I am fully confident that together we will find the best way to be efficient and effective.”
2020 and 2021 livery comparison
