MotoGP: Iannone already firing parting shots at Ducati

“From the outside, I might be the one that crashes all the time but at the end I am the fastest and strongest one with this bike.”

The rider who made this rather brazen statement is Andrea Iannone. The Italian’s declaration was not only directed at Ducati Corse management, but also current teammate Andrea Dovizioso, the one chosen to escort Jorge Lorenzo when the three-time MotoGP champion arrives at the Ducati garage in 2017.

As you probably already know, once the official announcement of the arrival of Lorenzo was made, Ducati also communicated that they would choose between the two Andreas as to which rider would stay in the team alongside Lorenzo and which one would be dismissed. The decision was supposed to be taken after the Italian GP in Mugello—the most important race of the year for Ducati—but for some reason, it was announced before. And the decision was that Dovizioso would be the one who is going to stay.

Iannone’s disappointment was obviously huge, especially because he feels he is the faster rider of the two. After four years in Ducati, having finished 5th last season, Iannone felt he deserved more confidence from the Italian brand managers. His “official version” sounds different though. “The last four years in Ducati have been amazing, I have felt really valued,” said Andrea during a chat we had during the Assen GP weekend. “I have had great support, since I arrived to the Pramac Team. I had the opportunity to grow with the Pramac team. Those were two really good years; it has been a really nice and positive journey. There is always a bit of displeasure; it is then when you try to understand what is best for you, not for the ones around you. If you want to get results you have to stop to consider what is going to help you reaching your goals in the future. That is why I am very happy with the choice I have made. But it is very important to finish with Ducati in a good position, we are all trying our best.”

Then Iannone began to reveal that there was still a lot of work to be done with the Ducati. “The way I [have to] ride now is too tiring at the moment. In MotoGP you cannot be using all your strength during all 26 laps of a race. I think we need an easier bike that allows us to go fast without getting exhausted. This is the main problem we have had this weekend. We have been trying to find a solution, the bike is too difficult when it comes to change directions, too heavy.”

Iannone's 8th position in the championship standing as it nears the midpoint of the season doesn't show his overall speed, not at all. In fact, Iannone has been a major factor in more than one GP—although perhaps not in the way a rider wants to be remembered. In the opening race of the year at Qatar, Iannone crashed on the 4th lap after a crazy and unnecessarily breathtaking battle with Dovizioso; in the following GP in Argentina, he crashed two turns from the finish line while again fighting for the podium with Dovizioso—who he ended up taking out with his crash. What could have been a historic result for Ducati ended being a disaster due Iannone's aggressive riding style.

After these episodes Ducati decided to establish a surprising internal protocol, which tried to dictate their riders' behavior in case the two met during the race again…which was somewhat strange, and rife with pitfalls. Ironically, Iannone's next incident didn't occur with his teammate but with Lorenzo, whom he knocked down after colliding with him in Catalunya. Iannone was punished by Race Direction for this incident by requiring the Italian to start from the end of the grid at Assen, no matter what position he earned in qualifying. As you can see, Iannone's season has been all but regular. "Yes, we have a lot to work [to do] on the Ducati to keep improving, but it would also had helped if we had made fewer mistakes."

“The Ducati is not an easy bike [to ride],” said Iannone. “The Ducati looks great because I am on top, but it is me that makes the difference. Actually, I don´t know if I am able to do better but a change was necessary. We have been four years here, but we have always had some problems. The opportunity to make a change came to me and I thought it was a positive move. I decided it was the moment to make a decision. After some years, you need a change.” If you had heard this statement without knowing all of the other events surrounding his move from Ducati to Suzuki for 2017, Iannone’s words sound as if he had already taken the decision to leave Ducati.

In Suzuki Andrea expect to find a competitive bike and especially the status of number one rider that Ducati denied him. “I don’t know what to expect; I imagine myself in blue because that’s the color of the team”, he jokes when asked about his expectations for next year. Then, getting serious he adds: ”I believe we can bring my will to win, which also has pros and cons. When you want to win so badly, you do not manage all the situations as you should. But I think working together we will be able to achieve lots... Suzuki is doing well, they have made a huge step.”

In the Suzuki Ecstar squad, Iannone will clearly become the reference mark. Instead of having another veteran rider like Dovizioso on the other side of the garage, Iannone will be seated next to a MotoGP rookie, Moto2 sensation Alex Rins. “He is young, strong and Suzuki has made the right decision taking him to MotoGP, we spoke about it when I signed with them. And for the future? I think he will become a good rider; the bike is in a really good moment, better than when Maverick arrived to Suzuki, the bike is more competitive and he will have me as teammate with four years of experience in MotoGP where I have improved a lot. He is coming from Moto2 and will be able to improve quickly. I hope not too quickly! I think it will be one of the best MotoGP teams of the season.”