Effects Of Alex Rins' Move To Yamaha

Racer from Spain. Alex Rins. (Photo: Twitter/@Rins42)

JAKARTA - Alex Rins is confirmed to have moved to the Yamaha manufacturer in MotoGP 2024. Even though his contract with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) will only expire at the end of the 2024 MotoGP.

Rins was able to move to Yamaha because in the contract with Honda there was a clause stating that Rins could leave if he accepted an offer from the factory team.

The former Suzuki racer was recruited by Yamaha to replace Franco Morbidelli whose contract will expire at the end of the 2023 season. The Japanese manufacturer has decided not to continue working with Morbidelli because it is considered a failure since it was signed in mid-2021.

Yamaha recruited Rins because the Spaniard was the only Honda rider who was able to win races this season when he dominated the United States series at the Austin Circuit. Moreover, they also saw Rins' frustrated situation because they felt less supported by Honda.

The joining of Rins to Yamaha can be a breath of fresh air to support the performance of the team trying to rise from adversity. The reason is, Rins was very competitive when defending Suzuki whose motorbike had the same concept as Yamaha when he was still competing in MotoGP.

While with Suzuki Rins won 17 podiums, including 5 wins. During the match in MotoGP in 2015-2022, Suzuki with a GSX-RR motorbike had the concept of an inline 4 engine, namely a concept that YZR-M1 also has, in the midst of the V4 concept trend owned by Ducati, Honda, KTM, and Aprilia.

Unfortunately, Yamaha now seems to have lost their way after successfully winning the 2021 world title with Fabio Quartararo. This season, they have only won 1 podium sprint race and 1 podium playing race. The presence of Rins is believed to be able to help Yamaha based on his experience in Suzuki, as well as Honda.

Rins' departure from Honda will actually bring a new job. The Japanese manufacturer had to rack his brain to find a replacement.

HRC and LRC actually have quite a number of replacement options, but that doesn't mean it will be easy to choose one name. Especially to choose the best racer who can boost team performance also takes time.