MotoGP, Iannone and Ducati. We have a problem...

On Sunday, once he had lifted himself up out of the gravel and realised what had happened, Andrea Iannone might have considered taking a trip to the moon. Either way, today he had the chance to visite the NASA base in Houston, to get a closer look at the equipment one needs.

He avoided any possible risky situations by opting out of driving the MVR, a remote-controlled vehicle, preferring to leave this to Pedrosa.

All jokes aside, the strike at the last corner of the Argentinian GP could cost the Italian rider dearly. Now that the agreement between Ducati and Lorenzo is almost complete, only one Desmosedici remains available for the next two years.

Up until Sunday, Iannone was the number one choice, also because the sponsor likes him from a communciations viewpoint, but now his stock is tumbling. The double zero is a huge weight of course, as is the fact that he prevented two Ducatis from reaching the podium with a manoeuvre that was, frankly, avoidable.

Nobody is questioning Andrea's talent, but racing for a factory team also comes with its responsibilites. Throwing away the work of the mechanics and engineers in the blink of an eye is behaviour that is not tollerated by Gigi Dall’Igna.

Iannone's manager Carlo Pernat surely has his work cut out in carrying out damage control. Iannone was involved in negotiations on two fronts, with both Ducati and Suzuki. He'll continue with this, but with decidely weaker cards in his hands.

Dovizioso clearly has the advantage, as it is he who has already brought the GP16 to the podium and it is he who, had it not been for the intereference of his team-mate, would be lying second in the championship, just one point behind Marquez.

Does this mean that Dovi will automatically stay with Ducati? No, because once the Lorenzo deal is finalised (if not already done), Ducati will be in no rush to decide. It could be that they simply wait to evaluate the best choice, safe in the knowledge that they can be the ones to dictate the terms.

Perhaps the control room in Houston has a computer that can see the future written in the stars...?