MotoGP, The strange fate of Dovizioso, leading the world championship but 'unemployed'

One of the mysteries for 2021 in this strange championship is, of course, the future of Andrea Dovizioso, in his final year with Ducati.

To show his mood at Misano, Dovi turned up with the words ‘Unemployed' on his leathers, replacing a no longer current ‘Undaunted' worn at the beginning of the season in place of the familiar 'Desmodovi'.

But where will the rider from Forlì end up in 2021 with all the places in MotoGP now full?

Rumours say that his manager, Simone Battistella, offered him as a ‘special’ test rider, asking for a contract for 2022 in exchange. But the question always remains the same: with which manufacturer?

Our colleague and friend Wiesinger of Speedweek, very close to Stefan Bradl, denies the possibility of Honda, since there is no news of the German rider’s replacement, so the prospect of Yamaha (the position currently occupied by Lorenzo) or Suzuki (where the 36-year-old Guintoli is currently on the bike) begins to take shape.

With a few tests and up to two wildcards, the 34-year-old World Championship leader could make it through the year and come back again in 2022.

With the KTM of Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio and Ducati out of the game and Aprilia without the necessary money (unless there is a sensational decision by both sides to race together as early as 2021), the decision could therefore be, the German site explains, between Yamaha and Suzuki.

Yamaha is not satisfied with Lorenzo so far, and his contacts with Ducati have not been well received by the Japanese team. Dovizioso could go there in 2021 as a test rider and as a replacement for the four regular riders. In 2022 he could take Rossi's place in Petronas. "If Dovi were available, I would immediately sign him as a test rider," said Valentino, before the first Misano GP ten days ago.

Suzuki might also need some support from the World Championship leader, who brings a lot of technical knowledge with him. And Suzuki is planning a customer team for 2022, with Pramac, Gresini or Avintia which could switch to VR46 or the Leopard team.