Andrea Dovizioso will officially retire from MotoGP after this year’s San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, exactly one-year after returning to the premier class with Yamaha.
A three-time MotoGP runner-up with Ducati, Dovizioso’s return to Grand Prix racing with Yamaha has sadly been nothing short of a disaster.
So often the main challenger to Marc Marquez during the Honda rider’s dominant period atop the sport, Dovizioso will leave MotoGP as one of the more decorated riders in recent seasons.
“I want to start by saying that, of course, we are all sad that Andrea will be leaving the sport earlier than expected,” said Lin Jarvis, Team Principal at Monster Energy Yamaha. “He is a big name in MotoGP, and he will be missed in the paddock.
“We considered ourselves very lucky last year that he was available and willing to join our MotoGP programme when Franky switched to the Yamaha Factory Team thus creating the need for a replacement rider for the remainder of the 2021 season. Andrea‘s great expertise, experience, and methodical nature were of great interest to Yamaha and the RNF team and the project was fixed to include the full 2022 season.
“Unfortunately, Andrea has struggled to extract the maximum potential out of the M1 and thus the results have not been forthcoming, which has created understandable frustration for Andrea. Finally during the summer break, he confirmed to us his desire to retire before the end of the season.
“After mutual discussions it was deemed appropriate for Andrea to ride his final race in Misano at his home GP. Naturally, Yamaha will continue to give ’Dovi‘ their full support over the next three races. In the meantime, let‘s enjoy his last three GPs and celebrate in Misano the end of a spectacular career.”
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