MotoGP is like all other sports, and even all human activities on the planet at the moment: at a standstill. That being said, staying at home or in the workshop when you can get there is not the same as sitting around doing nothing. Thus, factories refine their machines, pilots strengthen their physical condition. Which is for example a godsend for Marc Márquez, who thus erases the handicap that a convalescent right shoulder would have been if the calendar had followed its course... But these grace periods are not for Andrea Iannone whose situation is frozen no more by waiting for a court verdict than by the coronavirus…
Andrea Iannone does not take advantage of the delay in starting the MotoGP season caused by the coronavirus. Indeed, his career is suspended by the decision of a court which must rule on his case of positive doping control. If the verdict had already been rendered with a short suspension period, she would currently race without consequences for the driver since there is no competition. But justice is always silent so that the official Aprilia waits…
The International Disciplinary Tribunal has not yet expressed its opinion on the doping case involving the Italian, but the latter assures to live this wait in peace and with the aim of soon returning to his Aprilia. To the Journal of Sport he commented on his situation: “ I know that everyone would like to ask me how I am experiencing this particular moment, but I can only repeat what I said from the beginning: I am serene. I hope a verdict comes soon and puts all this behind me. »
The goal is to get back on track: “ I work out a lot, especially at the gym. This is an activity that I had continued all winter and now that the break is so long, I just continue with the same program. I feel good and I want to be ready when we can finally get back on the bike. »
His anticipation of the sentence goes hand in hand with the forced cessation of MotoGP due to the coronavirus: “ these days I'm in Lugano, but I do what happens in Italy. So I am locked in the house, following the strictest instructions and constantly updating myself on what is happening in Italy and the rest of Europe. Beyond my personal case, This is a situation that I would never have imagined experiencing and it does not seem necessary to remind me of its seriousness. It is revolutionizing all global sports, but above all it is endangering the health of millions of people around the world. I want to tell all Italians who are passionate about our sport that we will all come out together and stronger than before. »
Iannone was also present during the presentation of the Aprilia Racing team at the Qatar, but he has not yet been able to try the new RS-GP: “ the bike is aesthetically beautiful. This sounds like a revolution, but it is not fundamentally the case: all the measures taken have been well thought out. I know how much effort we made, how much we worked, how much we dedicated ourselves to this project. I also feel this bike like mine. » A message to Aleix Espargaró, his teammate who hadn't really appreciated the fact that the Italian had appropriated the merits of Noale's new opus?
Whatever, Andrea Iannone ends thus: “ my dream is to be able to take Aprilia to the top of MotoGP. I will put all my energy into it, as I have done since the first day I arrived, and as the entire Aprilia factory does. I can’t wait to ride motorcycles and be competitive. » We will recall that the president of the FIM had estimated that the court's verdict would arrive " soon ". But what should we mean by this in the era of Covid-19 ?
