Sitting on top of the points table for the 2018 MotoGP season, Andrea Dovizioso has reportedly rejected Ducati's initial offer for a contract extension, as per a report by Motorsport.com. Dovizioso's deal with Ducati ends by the end of this year and would be a hot property given his strong performance during the last season. The Spaniard is said to be in negotiations with the Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer over the contract extension, and clearly has a strong report card to ask for a better package.
Dovizioso's agent Simone Battistella was quoted by Motorsport saying, "We are far. Here we've had a meeting with Ducati and finally we said we have to keep working to make Andrea feel comfortable."
The Spaniard has been part of Ducati since 2013, but it's only since 2017 that fortunes for the rider changed completely. Dovizioso turned out to be the underdog for the previous season that nobody saw coming, and managed to leave lasting mark finishing as a runner-up at the end of the season. The Ducati rider has won seven of the last 16 races, and currently leads the championship standings by a single point over Honda's Marc Marquez.
Dovizioso was initially contracted under a deal of 2 million by Ducati, which certainly seems like pocket change when compared to teammate Jorge Lorenzo's package of 12 million Euros. While Lorenzo hasn't been able to justify his package, Dovizioso has been on fire and even earned quite the nickname 'Desmodovi' in the process.
Battistella continued, "The rider is not asking for something extraordinary, nothing impossible, just what he deserves taking into account the job that he's doing. But at the moment, we are not close to a deal."
Speculations suggest that the Spaniard is also being poached by Suzuki and Honda for the next season. With rumours rife about Suzuki dropping Andrea Iannone next year, both Lorenzo and Dovizioso seem to be in contention for the spot. However, the 32-year-old has found comfort with the Ducati works bike and given his high rate of results, the team will be looking to retain its star rider for another season.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo's riding style is expected to suit the Suzuki GSX RR, which would mean we could hear the former world champion making the switch to the Japanese team next season.
