MotoGP, Iannone and Rins, Suzuki looks ahead

Maverick Vinales already has one foot in Yamaha, more than that in fact, and the announcement about his move to Lorenzo's M1 could arrive at any moment. Suzuki, having done all it could to try and keep him, must now think about the future.

Two years ago, Davide Brivio took a gamble that has shown to have paid off but now he needs to reform his team The GSX-RR has become a competitive bike, albeit not yet at the level of its greatest rivals, and the seat is therefore hot property.

The manager doesn't have so many options but a few are interesting. People have been talking about contact between Andrea Iannone and Suzuki for a while, and this is still the case. In Ducati there is only one open spot and the Italian is considering a change; this wouldn't exactly be a bad move.

In Suzuki he'd be the first rider, a different role to that of 'second' rider to Lorenzo in Ducati. For the Japanese manufacturer, Andrea would be an interesting proposal, with experience in MotoGP and undeniable speed, even if he's not always consistent. Together, Iannone and the GSX-RR could try to take that step that he's been missing - to be able to fight against the best in every single race.

Brivio, however, could opt to invest in a youngster and, from this point of view, Alex Rins is the most interesting rider. The Spaniard, after winning at Le Mans, stated: “I'm not worried about my future, I have several offers on the table”.

Going to Suzuki would be the only way for him to debut in the reigning class with a factory team and a competitive bike. In this sense, the situation would be better than it was for Vinales who was climbing on a brand new machine. In addition, he wouldn't be under any particular pressure, and could follow a similar path to Maverick.

The Iannone - Rins pairing isn't so unlikely either, Aleix Espargarò permitting. Aleix, after a less than shining start to the season, has made up some of the lost ground, although loses out if compared to Vinales. Suzuki could give him another chance, or decide to make a complete change.

The story continues...