It was a statement from KTM's sporting director that drew attention to the Red Bull Ring. Speaking about the negotiations that were initiated a few months ago with Andrea Dovizioso, Pit Beirer spoke in the present tense. It must be said that, since then, Andrea Dovizioso has become a driver with no prospects for 2021. Have contacts been resumed?
Hervé Poncharal who is now in the family KTM does not really believe in it, pointing out that the values of the Austrian brand are not the type to call into question the contracts already signed. But Andrea Dovizioso is still a driver not to be neglected when it is certain that he finds himself without a plan for next season.
For his part, the future ex-Ducati rider described the RC16 as a “strange” motorcycle. But Pete Beirer, director of KTM Motorsport, spoke on Sky to say this: “ It hurts a little to see this situation. Dovizioso is an incredible driver and also a friend. We talked about it 2 months ago. Everyone wants it at this table, on one side there is the manager's request and on the other the concrete possibilities of the company. We must not forget that there is also strong pressure linked to covid, we must find a good agreement, otherwise it hurts everyone ».
“I would have been surprised if there was no interest from other teams”
To be continued, knowing thatAprilia also makes eyes at him... On these rumors, Andrea Dovizioso commented : " Since we announced our divorce from Ducati last Saturday, around 200 messages have been received per day. There is also interest from other teams and we will evaluate them later. For the moment, I remain focused on the race. I would have been surprised if there was no interest from other teams. "
Simone Battistella, manager of the Forlì rider, talks about KTM: “the negotiation dates back to a few months, when we were in the middle of the pandemic and there was great uncertainty. Perhaps it is true that we could have been a little more flexible, but KTM also made immediate decisions that it might not have made in hindsight. Too bad, I think both for us and for them but the situation was really very special. We are currently evaluating all proposals that could be interesting. Aprilia is an interesting option: Andrea Dovizioso has always made his choices based on the project and not the money, even if compensation is an important key to any negotiation.”
