Suzuki's involvement in premier-class Grand Prix racing dates to 1971, when Jack Findlay and business partner Daniele Fontana raced a Suzuki T series-powered machine to victory at the Ulster Grand Prix, marking the first 500cc win for Suzuki and the first premier-class victory for a two-stroke motorcycle. The manufacturer entered a full works team in 1974 with Barry Sheene and Findlay aboard the RG500, a square-four two-stroke designed by Makoto Hase. Sheene took second place on debut at the French Grand Prix and scored a pole-to-finish win at the 1975 Dutch TT.
Direct factory control of the program transferred to Suzuki GB for 1976, and Sheene responded with the first of his two consecutive world championships. He won the 500cc title again in 1977 before Yamaha's Kenny Roberts dominated the following seasons.
Randy Mamola and Graeme Crosby joined Suzuki in 1980. Marco Lucchinelli won the 500cc title in 1981 with the Roberto Gallina-run Suzuki team, and Franco Uncini took a second championship for Suzuki-affiliated machinery in 1982. Suzuki then withdrew factory support following Uncini's severe injury at the 1983 Dutch TT.
After three seasons away the manufacturer returned in 1987 with Kevin Schwantz, who built toward his moment of glory. Schwantz captured his sole world championship in 1993 with four race wins after years of near-misses. The RGV500 proved competitive through the 1990s, with Daryl Beattie finishing second in 1995 and Kenny Roberts Jr. taking Suzuki's first win in four years in 1999 before winning the championship in 2000.
Suzuki withdrew from MotoGP at the end of 2011 citing cost pressures amid the global economic downturn. In June 2013 the company announced a return with a factory team for 2015. Led by team manager Davide Brivio, Team Suzuki Ecstar fielded Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales aboard the newly developed GSX-RR. The team rebuilt competitiveness methodically.
Vinales left for Yamaha after 2016, and the team signed Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso for 2017, later transitioning to Alex Rins and Joan Mir. The pairing proved transformative: in 2020, Joan Mir secured the MotoGP Riders' World Championship with remarkable consistency despite winning only once during the season, and Suzuki took the Teams' Championship simultaneously. It was the manufacturer's first premier-class riders' title since Roberts Jr. in 2000.
On 12 May 2022, Suzuki announced it was in discussions with championship organiser Dorna regarding a possible exit from MotoGP at the end of the year, despite having contractual obligations through 2026. The announcement was widely criticised within the paddock for its abruptness and its impact on riders and personnel mid-season. Suzuki completed the season and won their final two races in Australia and Valencia through Alex Rins before ceasing competition entirely.
The team's legacy rests on multiple world titles across half a century of Grand Prix racing, from Sheene's two championships in the 1970s through Schwantz's iconic 1993 campaign to Mir's 2020 success. Team Suzuki Ecstar represented the modern chapter of that history, demonstrating competitive return, a world title, and an abrupt exit that left the MotoGP paddock diminished.