When we talk about Andrea Iannone, we can't help but think that there are those who fight to build a career with the means they have and those who do everything to destroy it while they have all the means to succeed. With a little more discernment, the man nicknamed Joe the Maniac could have shined in the firmament since to his talent, recognized even by Marc Marquez in the days of Moto2, is added a "people" side which would have made the paddock outside its sphere of influence. The kind of good customer a promoter loves. But you still have to know how to sort things out, control an incandescent character to better know how to burn your wings without consuming your halo. His manager Carlo Pernat tried to make him understand this, in vain. But to get an unadorned portrait of the Italian, you have to listen to the man who was his chief mechanic for six years: Marco Rigamonti.
Andrea Iannone is serving a suspended sentence due to doping which will end at the beginning of 2024, so much so that his return to competition is awaited by fans as ardently desired by the person concerned. But has the latter changed with this sad experience like Marc Marquez said to have been upset by his three years of struggle with his right arm? It's to do.
A doubt which draws its legitimacy from what Mark Rigamonti, his former chief engineer for six years, said in a long interview with slick-magazine : " Andrea had the misfortune of arriving in MotoGP in 2013, the worst year for Ducati and, on the contrary, a glorious year for Marquez, with whom he fought for the Moto2 title the previous year. And he won his first world champion title in the premier category. For someone like Andrea, very sure of himself, of his abilities and proud, it was difficult to accept " begin Rigamonti.
Then he elaborates: “ basically, he's a good boy. Sometimes it pushed him to give more than 100% to win. In other cases, this did not allow him to be self-critical, and therefore to improve ". And he goes into detail: “ his romantic relationships may still have worsened the situation : finding himself on the covers of magazines and being recognized in society only fueled these characteristics of his ».
« There is no certainty that Andrea Iannone would have won with the Ducati«
Then there were also mistakes along the way: “ the move to Suzuki, it was a mistake, by his own admission. He left the year Ducati was able to take a new step, rejecting a bike on which he would have been the first rider, a benchmark for development. In addition, he joined a team in which he found a way of working that he didn't like and which was diametrically opposed to past experiences ».
However, the same Rigamonti does not guarantee thatAndrea Iannone would have collected titles of glory by staying with Ducati : " History is not made with “ifs”. There is no certainty that he would have won with Ducati. There are infinite variables. Just think about how Dovizioso's career changed with Iannone leaving the box office. With the arrival of Lorenzo, Dovi, seeing all the problems of his new teammate, had a huge injection of self-esteem which allowed him to subsequently achieve all the victories and podiums he conquered. Going from chasing your partner to beating him every Sunday, plus being a five-time world champion, gives you a lot of self-confidence. But, even in this case, if Iannone had stayed, we don't know how it would have happened. ».
Especially with Gigi Dall'Igna, who had formed his opinion on “Joe the Maniac” after the arrival of a certain Argentine Grand Prix where he had ruined, in an inconsiderate attack on Dovizioso in the last lap, for a second place, the good overall result anticipated for the entire Borgo Panigale company.
