Dovizioso confirms: "I won’t race in MotoGP in 2023”

It’s clear that Andrea Dovizioso’s season isn’t going as he’d hoped, but it’s still difficult for him to accept. After the decision to split from Ducati at the end of 2020, the Italian found new lifeblood at Yamaha, receiving a third 2022 M1 as a rider for the RNF team. Things didn’t go particularly well in testing, and the first part of the season has been equally short on results.

“Every race is more difficult – Dovizioso tells the MotoGP website – because I start from the back, which further complicates things. I had never not been competitive in my career before, it’s something new and different for me, and has become a reality race after race”.

A difficult situation to digest then, and one that has led the Italian to take a drastic decision ahead of next season.

“I definitely won’t race in MotoGP next year, there’s no reason to do so. I’ve always said I wouldn’t stay in a category if I wasn’t competitive, especially after twenty years. I’ve not looked for a ride for next year, as I think it’s essential to be at the centre of a project. I’m relaxed about it, I’ve already experienced what it means to stop. I just hope to end the season on a high”.

Dovizioso: “Luckily I was fast with Yamaha in the past”

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Despite the situation, Andrea hasn’t lost any of his analytical ability, with which he attempts to outline the current Yamaha situation.

“Yamaha is in a strange situation right now. The M1 is great in braking and in carrying speed, but it struggles elsewhere. If you don’t ride like Quartararo, it’s hard to be competitive. If he is winning, it means it’s possible to do so, but the complaints of other riders tell us that there are no other ways to be quick, contrary to how it was in the past. Morbidelli rides in a different way to me, but the result is similar to mine.”

There appears to be little light for Andrea then, despite a strong first outing with the Iwata manufacturer back in 2012.

“Luckily, I raced with Yamaha in 2012, so people can’t say that I can’t be competitive with the M1, as I already was in the past. MotoGP has changed a lot in this time, in many ways – there are many pieces of the puzzle to put together, and if you are unable to do so, you experience the difficulties that I’m experiencing”.

Traslated by Heather Watson

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