Ducati’s Jack Miller says he’s intrigued to see how the new Suzuki goes in the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix and reckons it has gained “30 horsepower” with its engine.
Suzuki generally has one of the slower bikes in terms of top speed due to its engine philosophy of an inline four-cylinder motor compared to V4s like Ducati, Honda, Aprilia and KTM.
But with restrictions on engine development brought in by COVID for winter 2021, Suzuki has made major gains with its top speed.
Suzuki's Alex Rins topped the charts at 355.2 km/h in both Friday's practice sessions in Qatar, while Joan Mir - who qualified in eighth place - was the second-fastest biker in qualifying. And on Friday, Rins pulled a Ducati straight down the main, demonstrating its top speed advantage.
Miller, who will start Sunday's grand prix from fourth, is eager to see how it affects the GSX-RR in race conditions.
Miller replied, "I wouldn't say 'in the back'," when asked what Suzuki thought about qualifying eighth and 10th with Meir and Rins. "I look forward to seeing how this new Suzuki performs under race conditions.
“It looks like they have achieved, in my opinion, what would be 30 horsepower or something like that. It has to happen because I mean last year Mir went through two Ducatis before the finish line.
"And looking at the sessions yesterday [Friday] I saw Rins pass [Fabio] Di Giantonio before the first corner. He has a lot of improvement in terms of power.
“Suzuki has always been very good at tyres. Putting an extra 30 horsepower through the tyres, it'll be interesting to see how it goes.
"The other is consumption: You don't make bikes faster without putting in more fuel. So, it will be interesting to see how they go."
Meir noted on Saturday that his poor qualifying was a result of windy conditions in Q2, but is convinced the GSX-RR has made an "obvious" step forward in time attack mode.