Suzuki commits to MotoGP to 2026

Suzuki have joined Honda, Yamaha, Ducati and KTM in extending their commitment to MotoGP to the end of the 2026 season.

Currently represented in the premier class by Team Suzuki Ecstar, the Hamamatsu manufacturer celebrated their 100th Anniversary last year, along with the 60th Anniversary in racing: a year that was capped off with Joan Mir winning the World Championship and Team Suzuki Ecstar winning the Teams’ Championship.

Mir’s title broke a 20-year drought for Suzuki and served as vindication for the path taken by the factory since their return to the premier class in 2015 after four seasons away.

“As Suzuki Motor Corporation we are proud to continue to compete in the MotoGP World Championship, as we all share the challenging ambition of measuring ourselves against the top motorcycling competition in the world,” said Shinichi Sahara, Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Project Leader and Team Director.

“We started this new journey in 2015 and in only six years we achieved the Riders’ World title, together with the Teams’ title, and we are still hungry for more success. For these reasons we have extended our agreement with Dorna, with the hope and the commitment to continue the development of the technical and racing sides of the company.”

The delay behind Suzuki’s recommitment (the other factories re-signed back in January and February) is unexplained, but Dorna CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, is satisfied the decision has finally come.

“We are very happy with the renewal of the agreement with Suzuki, a factory with which we have been riding along for years in the World Championship and enjoy a great cooperation,” Ezpeleta said.

“We proudly extend this partnership and hope to continue setting milestones with this iconic brand.”

With Suzuki signing on for the next five-year contract cycle, it leaves Aprilia as the only manufacturer on the MotoGP grid yet to formally commit beyond 2021 at time of writing. Aprilia's agreement with Gresini Racing, who run the team on the factory’s behalf, was due to end this year, but the transition to a factory-run team has been complicated following the death of Fausto Gresini in February.