Now former Suzuki MotoGP team boss Davide Brivio has revealed that a Facebook message asking about Valentino Rossi’s availability led to him heading up the championship-winning squad.

Brivio’s management has been widely acclaimed for Suzuki’s progression from a MotoGP return at the end of 2014 to winning the riders’ title with Joan Mir last year.

Initially, however, he was sounded out on social media by Project Leader Shinichi Sahara in the hope of landing the services of Valentino Rossi.

Brivio had worked with Rossi as the Team Manager at Yamaha Factory Racing and, when ‘The Doctor’ defected to Ducati in 2011, he became a consultant to his fellow Italian.

With Suzuki looking at returning to the top tier of motorcycle racing, Sahara sent a Facebook message which failed to yield Rossi’s signature, but did eventually snare another.

“Sahara reached out to me on Facebook, which was strange because I don’t use Facebook,” Brivio told MotoGP’s official website.

“I have a profile but I don’t use it. I don’t even know how, even now! But I saw a notification and looked at the messages.

“I saw Sahara’s name and he wanted to know what Valentino Rossi’s intentions were for the future.

“He told me that Suzuki wanted to return to MotoGP in 2014 and he asked if Valentino Rossi would be available to race for them.

“I spoke with Valentino but he said riding for Suzuki didn’t interest him, Valentino wanted to go back to Yamaha [in 2013] and so I politely replied to Sahara to let him know Valentino was not interested.

“And then we started talking a bit and Sahara asked me if, in case he started a team in Italy, would I be interested?

“And I said yes, I might be interested. So, I started with them on April 1, 2013.”

Brivio will work in Formula 1 from this year, as Racing Director at the Alpine F1 Team.