Andrea Dovizioso has been signed on for the 2019 and 2020 seasons by Team Ducati. The announcement comes ahead of the French Grand Prix at Le Mans where Dovi secured a provisional pole. The ace rider, who was a championship contender for the 2017 season, was understood to be looking for a better deal from the Italian team following reports of a low-ball offer last month. However, with a world title almost under his belt, and having led the championship briefly this season, there was little doubt the Bologna-based manufacturer would let the rider go. Dovizioso will be the longest-serving Ducati rider in MotoGP, having joined the factory team in 2013, and his new contract will extend the association until the end of 2020, a period of eight years. This will be a significant record in itself.
(2018 Qatar GP Winners - Rossi, Dovizioso and Marquez)Speaking on his contract extension, Dovizioso said, "Today was a really great day for us, because we announced that the marriage with Ducati will continue for the next two years. I believe that together we have done a fantastic job so far, but it's not enough: we want more and I'm happy that we have reached a deal that allows us to work with peace of mind to obtain better results. We've got two and a half seasons ahead of us, all the time we need to try and bring home the world title, which is our aim.
"I'm very pleased with the support that I have received from many people over the last few days: I could never have imagined staying so many years in Ducati, and ours is really a great story. Today we started off well, with a clear head and you could see that from the results. We managed to be immediately quick this morning, and then in the afternoon we made a further step forward with the set-up. I was quick both on new tyres and used ones, but we must continue to improve because there are a lot of riders who have a good pace here."
Dovizioso had an incredible season in 2017 with six wins and the last season as a runner-up but after a fantastic showdown in the final race at Valencia. He then went on to win the season opener in Qatar and is currently fifth in the rider standings for 2018.
With Dovizioso signed for the next two seasons, questions do rise about who will be joining the Italian in the garage. With Jorge Lorenzo far from producing expected results, the Spaniard could move on from Ducati with a possible alliance with Suzuki. Meanwhile, reports do suggest that Danilo Petrucci or Jack Miller could be promoted to the factory team from their current stint with Pramac Ducati. We do expect to hear from Lorenzo sooner now given the uncertainty at Ducati.
