Vinales feels 'fantastic' in wet and dry, Rossi Qualifying 1
Reigning tri🐎ple MotoGP title runner-up Andrea Dovizioso will end his eight-year Ducati career this season.
That was the bombshell news from Dovizioso's manager Simone Battistella to , fol꧅lowing crunch talks with senior Ducati management in Austri🤡a on Saturday.
Yesterday, Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi said Dovizioso's future would be decided after the two Austrian✱ rounds.
But ꧃Dovizioso - who smiled when he saw the tweet about Tardozzi's comments, shown during the live FP2 TV broadcast -🐻 has now taken the future into his own hands, Battistella saying the decision not to continue was made by Dovizioso and has now been "communicated to Ducati".
"The conditions to continue together don't exist... It has been a reflection made ove♎r the last period. Andrea feels much more calm now th🎀at he has made this decision," Battistella added.
Dovizioso plans to remain in MotoGP, "even if there are [currently] no negotiations going on with other ꦆt🐻eams."
On paper, a 2021 contract extension between Dovizioso and Ducati initially seemed a formality, but as the months went by without an agreement the impasse becam🐭꧒e clear.
Although there have been some per෴formance tensions between rider and team in recent years, money appeared to be the main sticking point, with rumours of Ducati offering Dovizioso a much lower salary than at present, with budgets being cut due to the coronavirus.
If Dovizioso - a 14-time premier-class race winner - wants to rem🌺ain in MotoGP, his only factory team option would now be at Aprilia, which is awaiting the outcome of Andrea Iannone's appeal over a doping ban.
Meanwhile, Pramac's Fran🍷cesco Bagnaia or even retired triple world champion Jorge Lorenzo would become the main contenders to ride alongside Jack 🧸Miller at Ducati in 2021. Dovizioso's current team-mate Danilo Petrucci is moving to Tech3 KTM next season.
MotoGP Editor
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Ros🦩si come and go. He is at the forefront of th♊e Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
