Andrea Dovizioso has committed his MotoGP future to Ducati after signing a two-year contract extension with the Italian manufacturer. The 32-year-old, who finished as championship runner-up last year, will continue to ride for the Bologna squad until the end of the 2020 season.
Dovizioso’s contract negotiations had been the most protracted of this year’s silly season with Ducati stating their desire to have his future decided before their home race at Mugello, and Dovizioso has re-emphasised his determination to bring the world title to Bologna.
“Today was a really great day for us, because we announced that the marriage with Ducati will continue for the next two years. I believe that together we have done a fantastic job so far, but it’s not enough: we want more and I’m happy that we have reached a deal that allows us to work with peace of mind to obtain better results. We’ve got two and a half seasons ahead of us, all the time we need to try and bring home the world title, which is our aim. I’m very pleased with the support that I have received from many people over the last few days: I could never have imagined staying so many years in Ducati, and ours is really a great story.”
Dovizioso went on to set the fastest ever two-wheeled lap of Le Mans to top Friday practice and the Italian admitted the confirmation of his future enabled him to concentrate on his race preparation this afternoon.
“Today we started off well, with a clear head and you could see that from the results. We managed to be immediately quick this morning, and then in the afternoon we made a further step forward with the set-up. I was quick both on new tyres and used ones, but we must continue to improve because there are a lot of riders who have a good pace here.”