In the 🎐aftermath of the financial crisis, two manufacturers withdrew from the MotoGP World Championship; Kawasaki (end of 2009) and then Suzuki (end oꦯf 2011).

Kawasaki hasn’t been back, focussing its racing efforts on WorldSBK, while Suzuki returned to ꦓMotoGP at the end of 2014.

Lockdown restrictions to control the coronavirus are expected to result in another form of the financial crisis, raising questions about whether all curren꧙t MotoGP manufacturers - Honda, Yamahaও, Ducati, Suzuki, Aprilia and KTM - can stay the course.

Of the current ℱsix manufacturers, only Honda and Yamaha hav🌳e competed in every season since the introduction of the four-stroke 'MotoGP' era, in 2002.

🧔Ducati joined the following year. Aprilia withdrew&nb🃏sp;at the end of 2004, later supplying a CRT bike before officially returning with Gresini in 2015. KTM then made its premier-class debut at the end of 2016.

In the case of Suzuki, team manꦗager Davide Brivio - who joined the factory for its MotoGP return - believes the new two-year deals signed with Alex Rins and Joan Mir show the company remains 'committed'.

"I took it as fantastic news from our company, the fact that we could renew the agreement of Alex𓆉 and J♔oan in this period," he said.

"This happened in the last two-three weeks - not more than a month - and went through the approval of our top management. So to see them doing✅ that in this delicate situation, approving the contracts for ’21-’22, I took as a very good si♔gn.

"It makes us look to the future with confidence. It means that the company is committed to keeping🐷 going in MotoGP with the normal activity. To continue thinking in the normal way."

But that's not to say cost-cutting measures aren't n🍷🧔eeded.

"In the future, everybody will probably have less resources," Brivio said. "The champiꦍonship is very much related to the manufacturers because in reality the manufacturers are the biggest ‘sponsors’ of every team and, of course, nobody is selling bikes and products at the moment.

"Even at Suzuki, we are a car ওmanufacturer as well as motorcycle and marine engines, but we are not selling thosꦕe. So all the companies will have to reduce their costs.

"2021 also&෴nbsp;won’t be like 17', '18 or '19," Brivio continued. "I mean, this crisis seems to be much bigger, but 💟when we had the [financial] crisis in 2008-2009 [MotoGP] slowed down and then slowly built back up.

"We've been asked [by Suzuki] to save budget for this year, to try to reduce costs and from a certain point of view, it's - I won't say easy - but by not travelling, not racing, we are automatically savin🦩g some budget.

"Whether this will be enough or not, we are in constant contact with ourౠ management and making calculations, reviewing costs and trying to make an estimation of what the budget will look like and things like that.

"I🌠 imagine th💝at everybody will have less budget this year and probably next year and that is why freezing development is a good way to go."

The technical freeze will mean the four most successful manufacturers - Honda🌱, Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki - will not ✅be able to change their engine design until 2022, with new aerodynamic parts delayed until next year.

But what other cost-cutting options are being conside🍨red ꦯwithin the MSMA (manufacturers' association)?

"We went throug🌱h different proposals or solutions and, of course, the biggest expenses are the development of the parts and the technical costs," Brivio explained.

"Another cost, which has already been talked about in the media, is the contract of the riders and the personnel. As you see in football, this is not somꦦething you can manage altogether or make as a regulation.

"Another way we consid♌ered to save costs in the future is a shorter race weekend and spending less time [travelling]. Also less time away would be a health issue, because the more time you are outside with oth♏er people then the risk [of coronavirus] increases.

"We didn’t really come out with a precise proposal yet, but I think after stopping [technical] development we are all open and available to consider any solution. Dorna and all the manufacturers agree we need to discuss more and go into detail to see what we can do in💛 the future.

"But as I said, to renew the c🌠ontracts with our riders gives me the hope that MotoGP i𒀰s still considered important [to Suzuki]."

While Suzuki took only a single MotoGP victory between 2002-2011 and was absent from the podium in the 🍸three seasons prior to its withdrawal, the factory is now in a much moꦏst successful position.

The GSX-RR has claimed three win🍌s&n🔯bsp;since 2015, including two for Rins last season on his way to fourth overall in the world championship.

Both Suzuki riders have also impressed during pre-season testing for the 2020 season, which will now begin - pe💧nding government approval - at Jerez in July.

Yamaha is the only other manufacturer to have so far completed its 2021 ꦉfactoryಞ team line-up.