So, Ducati has made its decision. A decision which goes against the result of the survey that we launched, at the end of which a majority of you wanted to see Andrea Iannone as a teammate of Jorge Lorenzo.
To help you better understand Ducati's choice, we first called on an outside and informed eye: that of Hervé Poncharal.
Then we asked Charles Pernat, Andrea Dovizioso's agent, how he saw things.
Carlo, at Le Mans, speaking of Andrea Iannone, you told us “At Ducati, that doesn’t work” and you were of course right. But honestly, what decision would you have made in their place?
Charles Pernat: “Ducati made a choice. Next to Lorenzo, he put a more, how should I say… quiet driver. Putting Iannone next to Lorenzo was not easy. They are two very strong characters, and Iannone wants to win. I'm not saying Dovizioso doesn't want to win, but Iannone would have been a problem. That's probably why they made this decision. And when Ducati had problems, Dovizioso rode the bike with Gigi, he knows the bike well. And he sure knows that Lorenzo is faster. This is normal and you just have to see how much they paid Lorenzo and how much they pay Dovizioso. Lorenzo will be first driver and Dovizioso second driver. It's the truth, and even with Iannone it would have been the same. With Lorenzo alongside, you always remain second driver. Only Valentino is not second driver (laughs).
So i think for Iannone, it's better to be first Suzuki rider than second at Ducati.
It's a good bike and it has improved a lot this year. Davide Brivio works well and is a friend. I have known the Japanese for a long time because I already worked with them when Loris Capirossi was riding a Suzuki. They are people who work well. I could see that the bike, even at speed, is more or less like the Honda.
Afterwards, we have to see but I think it is better for them to have Iannone as their first driver, because he is a very good driver. »
And, next year, he will perhaps have a little desire for revenge...
“Yes, but that’s normal. But I also think that partly it was also Iannone's choice, because he had an offer from Ducati. But probably Suzuki's offer was better. So leaving Ducati was a 50% decision, a decision shared by both sides. The best decision for everyone. And from Mugello, we can think about the competition. »
