The rider market is not the only one that is in full swing at the moment in MotoGP. Several questions about the teams beyond this season remain unanswered, starting with the search for a solution to compensate for the departure of Suzuki and its pair of Spanish drivers, Joan Mir and Alex Rins.
Although the rest of the brands could also be subject to change -due to Aprilia ‘s intention to confirm the association of a satellite team- the situation is much less evident for RNF, a structure that has taken the place of SRT this season after the withdrawal of the agreement between Sepang and Petronas.
Yamaha agreed to a one-year contract, however Razlan Razali did not wait for this deadline to explore other options.
“The rumors [with Aprilia] started earlier this year, and Suzuki’s decision only amplifies them,” the Malaysian boss remarked on this subject in an interview with GPOne at Le Mans. And he admitted: “Logically, I have to look around me, given that we only have a one-year contract with Yamaha.”
Razali confirmed that the possibility of changing the manufacturer exists, but “it is something difficult to carry out”, aware that, if they work with Aprilia , they would lose the foundations with Yamaha from 2019.
“I would like to have a relationship with Yamaha like we have, like Poncharal for more than 20 years, or Cecchinello with Honda.”
“That way you race with the manufacturer, win and lose together. As a team, we have to build our credibility, our business relationships, the support of the fans, and you can’t do that if you change manufacturers all the time.
“We have already shown what we can do, our former drivers are in the official team. That is the way, I don’t like being defined as a satellite or independent team. We are a junior team, we grow young drivers for the manufacturer.” “We wouldn’t be here without WithU,” he reaffirmed.
“All I can say is that our relationship with Yamaha is a good one and I hope it will be good for them too. I hope I have shown them what we can do as a team, but in sport sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
Will RNF make the decision at the 2022 Catalunya GP?
“We only have one year of contract with Yamaha, it is true, but we have time to assess the situation. We have other options, which is good, but we are still waiting,” explained Razlan Razali , hinting that he expected answers from the Grand Prix. de Catalunya, scheduled for early June.
“I think in Barcelona we will find out. If we had to change constructors, there would be many other things to consider, such as our participation in the Asian championship.”
Without confirming or denying the rumors that point to Noale close to an agreement with RNF, Massimo Rivola also insisted on the need to seal an agreement quickly, so that the duplication of the RS-GP squad occurs in the best conditions.
“We are thinking of possibly supplying two bikes [to a satellite team],” Aprilia Racing’s general manager told the official MotoGP website on the sidelines of the French GP, “and I would say that if we want to find the right partner, we have to really do it in a short amount of time.”
“We are developing as a team and also as a constructor, so we must not lose performance in this regard. We need to grow, so we need time to put everything in place,” he concluded.
