While some MotoGP manufacturers can at least use the coronavirus delay to work on problematic parts or reliability issues, Suzuki w꧅as one of the teams already looking in great shape for the planned Qatar season-opener on March 8.

Alex Rins and Joan Mir had botꦦh been fast during testing at Sepꦫang and Losail, impressing not only for one-off lap times but all-important race pace.

“From a purely sporting point of view 📖it’s a really big pity, and we’re disappointed because we felt we had good potential an𒆙d we were really interested to see where it would take us; we wanted to start racing," said Suzuki team manager Davide Brivio.

"But now the priorities are totally🎀 different, the world is in crisis and ♐first we have to fix this and take care of ourselves and our loved ones."

While many European factories are closed and citizens confined at𒀰 home, Japan has so far avoided the worst of the outbreak and no lockdown is yet in place.

“At SMC (Suzuki Motor Corporation) they are trying to work on the last tweaks ready to start the champion😼ship. But from a technical poꩲint of view we were pretty OK and the bike was ready, so there is not much we want to do there," Brivio said.

Rins and Mir had also been eager to start racing, having been inside the t🍨op six during the final test at🅰 Losail.

“They are not happy because they were really ready to start the season," Brivio said of his riders. "But they are in good shape, training a 🍌lot and staying focused, trying to stay ready for whenever the first race will happen.

"Eཧverybody understands the priorities and the safety precautions so they simply accept it like everyone else.

“They live in Andorra and they are organising their training in different ways and keeping busy while t⛎hey are restricted."

Suzuki had planned a private t🤪est - alongside Aprilia, Honda and KTM - at Jerez this week, but the circuit has now been closed and "as a team nobody is travelling now."

"We are in a very uncertain situation, just waiting as we don’t know when the first race will be, so it’s dওifficult to make a strategy," Brivio explained.

"All we know for sure is that the last part of the Championshi𒁃p will 🦂be very busy with so many races concentrated between September and November.

"Right now 🎃we can only do some ‘homework’ and stay ready.”

The MotoGP season is officially set to make its delayed start at Jerez from May 1-3, but further calendar updat﷽es are expected and a June date (or bey𓂃ond) for the opening race seems increasingly likely.