Since Andrea Dovizioso made the shock announcement that he would be leaving the factory Ducati team at the end of 2020, the MotoGP world has been rife with speculation about what the future will hold for the three-time championship runner-up.
But one of the most-suggested rumours has been shot down by the man responsible for the team in question, with Red Bull KTM Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal unequivocal in his thoughts on whether Dovizioso has a chance to replace rookie Iker Lecuona for 2021.
Dovizioso was originally linked to KTM earlier in the year, but it’s believed that his asking price was too high for the Austrian manufacturer – a similar issue to the one that brought his time at Ducati to an end. Unlikely to accept a smaller offer even if KTM’s riders have since proven just how good the 2020 machine is, it sounds like it’s an unrealistic option anyway.
Poncharal has a reputation both as one of the most loyal bosses in racing and as someone who has an eye for spotting young talent – and he’s certain that the 20-year-old Lecuona is a star in the making that he won’t give up just yet.
“We told him all year that his job this year is to learn,” says Poncharal.
“We have Brad, Pol, and Miguel, and his job isn’t too compete with them – he was only 19-years-old when he started testing! Of course, the first race in Jerez he stopped because of the heat, and I told him he needed to train more. The second race, a stupid crash, and I wasn’t angry but I was unhappy.
“But even then Mike Leitner [works KTM team principal] was telling me that they could see on the data how fast he was, and it’s easier to calm down a fast rider than make a slow rider fast. We arrived in Brno and he did a perfect weekend, tried to pass Mir and made a mistake braking on the bumps and crashed and took Mir with him – and I thought ‘oh my god, three races and no finishes…’
“Then the media started to say that he needs to be better, that they’re going to kick him out for Dovi. We didn’t want to put him under too much pressure though, he went to Austria and he finished ninth! I was so happy. You can see his riding style is incredible too, and in the second race with more confidence it was coming – you could see how close he was to Brad and Pol.”
And with the KTM set-up meaning the factory has placed one rider within Tech3 (in the shape of Danilo Petrucci for 2021) and then giving Poncharal free reign to secure the services of the second despite them being on a contract direct with Austria, he’s adamant that things aren’t going to change.
“This rider is my choice, and of course I would like my choice to be successful. But he [Lecuona] is only 20, he’s the youngest person on the grid, and of course he’s going to make mistakes.
“Miguel and Brad are 25. Imagine after two years of MotoGP – for me he will be a top MotoGP rider, and I just need to calm him down.
“I won’t try and skip him for 2021, firstly because he has a proper contract and it would be illegal, but secondly because he is our rider and he is staying.
“What is the point in taking a 20-year-old guy with tons of talent who just needs time and experience, then replacing him? We just need to have the balls to keep him and give him time.”
Signing Lecuona wasn’t an easy route, though. When Johann Zarco made the shock move to join Avintia from KTM, the factory squad took Binder from Tech3, when Miguel Oliveira turned down the chance to move to the factory team. The latter two have now both won in MotoGP, Oliveira at the Red Bull Ring and Binder at Brno.
That meant the satellite squad was left looking for a replacement – but Poncharal says that despite opposition both within and without his team, Lecuona was his first choice to join the outfit.
“My team was supposed to be Oliveira and Binder. When Brad was confirmed as moving up to the factory team in Japan [MotoGP round], I told them that I understood but that it was a big blow to me. He is a fantastic guy and I would have loved to say that I had spent a year working with him – but I understood it was nothing to do with them.
“I told them to let me pick who I wanted, and I hadn’t one second of hesitation. I called his [Lecuona’s] manager and we met, and he was amazed. He had just signed for Aki Ajo and that was already the dream of his life. His manager asked me if he was ready, but I was sure he was, and the earlier he goes the more he can learn.
“But he had to speak to Iker, to make sure he was ready, that he didn’t feel he needed one more year in Moto2. The last thing I wanted to do was wreck his career. He thought it wasn’t possible, then he thought some more and told me yes.
“I told KTM and they were shocked. They’re rock and roll, but maybe I’m more rock and roll! But they followed my choice, and chapeau to them for that. We signed the deal in Australia, and a lot of people who know everything told me I’m crazy, that I’m going to waste a year, that I’m going to kill the guy.”
So where does that leave Dovizioso for 2021? It’s believed that he’s still in talks with Aprilia about a possible ride there, although money is likely to continue to be a sticking point as it is unable to match the paying power of Ducati or KTM never mind surpass them.
There is another far-out possibility, though.
The Race’s sources in the paddock have hinted that the Petronas Yamaha team has reached out to Dovizioso. Believed to be extremely close to securing Valentino Rossi for 2021 but at loggerheads over the final details, it seems this is likely a play to force the nine-time champion’s hand – but could also give both them and Dovizioso an interesting back-up option should it be needed.
Perhaps the most likely proposition for Dovizioso in 2021 is a switch to a different format of racing, with the Italian already showing an interest in the past in car racing by dabbling in DTM with wildcard appearances.
Far from embarrassing himself at Misano in June of last year when he replaced Pietro Fittipaldi, he finished the two races in 15th and 12th despite only one pre-event test, running as high as eighth at times.
