MotoGP | Yamaha ready for a November test with Dovizioso

Yamaha’s goal is to return to winning ways and is working hard to be back in the fight at the top of the standings. To do so, it is investing in every area, from recruiting engineers and technicians from other brands to radical changes in philosophy to be able to get closer to the competitiveness of European brands.

However, the lack of a satellite team (which will return next year) and an injured tester have slowed down the path of the Iwata manufacturer. So, from next year, the M1s will once again be four thanks to Pramac’s decision to embrace the Yamaha MotoGP project. However, it remains to be seen how the Japanese brand will plan to carry on the project on the track without a test rider.

The answer is very simple and has a name and surname: Andrea Dovizioso. The rider from Forlì retired from racing in 2022, when he was riding for the then RNF team and was equipped with a Yamaha. The M1 is the last bike that Where he drove, but this does not date back a long time ago, because during the private tests carried out in Misano, the former rider returned to wearing overalls and helmet and rode with the Yamaha.

He was also seen in the MotoGP pits at Misano during the San Marino Grand Prix and, most likely, his presence was not a coincidence. The forced absence of Cal Crutchlow forces Yamaha to find a replacement to carry on the development and Dovizioso seems to embody the ideal figure, so much so that he could get on the Yamaha at Jerez during a test session scheduled for November.

“We were lucky to convince Where to help us, because unfortunately Cal Crutchlow is not in shape and at that moment we couldn’t do any tests with the test team,” explained Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Team Manager. “So we did a kind of secret test at Mugello with Dovizioso and it went well. Then also the test we did here in Misano was good, positive. He worked very well. He really immersed himself in the project. He is very analytical. He seems more like an engineer than a rider! So the first impression was very, very good.”

If these are the premises, a return of Dovizioso on the M1 in a much less sporadic manner cannot be ruled out. Crutchlow’s injury seems decidedly serious and Yamaha is already preparing for the idea that the British rider will not be able to take to the track. In case he is not ready yet, the manufacturer of the three tuning forks is already ready and can field Andrea Dovizioso: “We have another test planned in Jerez in November, where if Cal is not able to race, and it is very unlikely that he will be, we have already asked Where to participate,” concluded Meregalli.