Two months ago, his place was “not to be questioned”, but today the vice-world champion seems to await a decision from Ducati which, according to his manager, would be postponed after the start of the championship. Enough for the Lorenzo threat to grow?
While his pilot suffered an unwelcome fall a fortnight from the official tests which will mark the resumption of MotoGP – in preamble to the first Grand Prix – the manager ofAndrea Dovizioso assured that this hitch did not put a brake on negotiations with Ducati for 2021, and this precisely … because it did not yet start in concrete terms. “The negotiations for 2021 are something in their own right”, he told Sky Italia on Sunday evening. “We are focused on 2020 and this is a small obstacle, but it will be resolved very quickly. As far as 2021 is concerned, we will think about it when we talk about it and start negotiations.”
In the most mysterious deal on the market in this extended pre-season, which has become more and more blurred over the weeks, this is the last declaration to date to sow trouble, at the end of a week very agitated by speculations from Italy, but not only. While he was back in public to accompany the Ducati team to the Misano test, it was impossible for Gigi Dall’Igna to avoid this thorny subject, but the group’s general manager may be stingy with his words , he chose to name a spade a spade when asked what the problem was. “The negotiations have been going on for quite some time. We are struggling to resolve the issue”, he told mid-week at La Gazzetta dello Sport, adding: “The situation has been hampered by an economic problem.”
The manager of the vice-world champion was quick to react. A month and a half after trying to shake the management of Ducati by lifting the veil in the media on the complex situation in which the discussion between the two parties was, Simone Battistella this time indicated that Dovizioso was ready to engage and that the ball was in Borgo Panigale’s court.
“Above all, we preferred to renegotiate the contractual terms of 2020. Given what has happened, it seemed to us to be the fairest thing to do in order to avoid tensions in view of 2021”, he also said to La Gazzetta dello Sport. He then mentioned the renegotiation of salary required for the current season, already settled for several weeks to believe the management of Ducati.
“After a series of discussions, from what I understand Ducati was in favor of the agreement reached, but then nothing was written”, added the manager, however. “On the new contract, there were indications as to [la somme] maximum of a possible offer, but it’s something that dates back to last month, before we broached the subject of 2020. “
On Sunday, Battistella said a little more: according to him, the discussion is at a standstill and Ducati wants to wait before it picks up and materializes. “We have understood that Ducati wants to wait for the first races to conduct evaluations. We respect this decision, hoping that it does not create tensions in a championship where calm will be essential”, emphasizes the manager. Why opt for such a late decision at Borgo Panigale? “I don’t know the reason, maybe they want to assess the other riders they have, but they should be asked. Do Ducati want Andrea? They tell me yes and I trust Ciabatti “, tries to answer Simone Battistella.
For his part, the manager clearly announces his pilot’s wish: “If there is a project and the right conditions, then he will be interested, otherwise he will not be.” He concedes that the possibility of going elsewhere was studied during a meeting with KTM, but the subject was quickly dismissed. Far from being clarified, the situation becomes more and more murky, leaving the triple world vice-champion in title at the mercy of its manufacturer while the handlebars have become scarce in the official teams: there remains one at Honda, promised to Pol Espargaró, and one from Aprilia, who is waiting to know the fate of Andrea Iannone.
The return of the Lorenzo rumor
A few days ago, Ducati seemed to have everything to lose by not satisfying its driver. The manufacturer said it was ready to commit for a year only if that was Dovizioso’s wish, and we urged him to forget the tensions of the past to move forward. However, the tide seems to have changed and it is now the pilot who is in a delicate position. What has changed in the meantime? The answer may be found not in Italy but in Switzerland. Since his (slightly too) peaceful retirement, Jorge Lorenzo multiplies the cryptic messages, frustrated by an early departure and a 2020 year much quieter than it should be. The crisis having put an end to his program, Lin Jarvis himself seems to encourage his test pilot on technical unemployment to rethink his future …
“Our plans with Lorenzo have been greatly affected”, recognizes the Yamaha manager with Speedweek, referring to the canceled tests and the ban on wild cards. “Jorge wanted to test and race this year, but I think he had an ulterior motive. He wanted to know if he was still interested enough to resume the race, if he would still be fast enough, comfortable and competitive, and if he could regain his confidence with the Yamaha. […] But Yamaha probably wouldn’t have room for Jorge. If he wants to redo a full season, Jorge will have to speak to a competitor. There are manufacturers like Ducati who have not yet completed their line-up. “
In the process, the subject was raised directly with the Spanish rider during a question and answer session with the official MotoGP website. “At the moment, I am enjoying my life very much, […] but I can’t tell you that I don’t miss the feeling of victory “, explained this one, “this is why if the opportunity or the call [me permettant] to win the championship is coming, at least I will listen to it and study it, […] because at 33 I still believe that I can win the championship if I can afford it. ” The desire is there, of course, but what about the realistic possibilities? “For the moment, this call has not arrived”, assures Lorenzo, who knows what to expect: “There are only two possibilities for me to have the means to win: Yamaha, which has more or less already signed its four pilots, and Ducati. There is no other chance.”
Plausible, yes, because the signals come from many places, but from plausible to concrete there is a big difference.
Dovizioso’s manager regarding Lorenzo’s return
Does this reflection take place at Borgo Panigale? “I can’t say we didn’t talk to each other, I wished him a birthday. But for me it’s not a situation to think about,” informs Gigi Dall’Igna at La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It is clear that he did not finish his career in the best way and he does not like it. If I were him, I would not like it”, concedes the boss of Ducati Corse, who advances from the tip of his lips: “There are many unknowns, it is not an easy operation. […] It is difficult to analyze the situation, he too has not had the opportunity to assess it well. If he had done a wild card or a test, it would have been less difficult for everyone to think about it. “
Despite the lack of concrete discussion with the Mallorcan, the threat is still deemed plausible by the Dovizioso clan. “Plausible, yes, because the signals come from several parts, but from plausible to concrete there is a big difference”, points out the manager of Dovizioso. “It’s clear that Lorenzo rediscovered the urge to run, […] but Andrea did not see him as a threat. Ducati, they are free to do what they want, to evaluate the drivers they believe in, in terms of pride it makes no difference. Andrea doesn’t want to get lost in these reflections. “ Despite delays that are difficult to understand, therefore, and obvious points of friction that have hitherto prevented reaching an agreement, the manager wants to remain confident: “For me, at 99% we will renew.”
