Lorenzo Could Ride Satellite Yamaha in 2019 MotoGP
Rennie Scaysbrook | May 31, 2018
Lorenzo Could Ride Satellite Yamaha in 2019 MotoGP—Jorge Lorenzo could be on a satellite Yamaha in 2019 as dismal tenure at Ducati looks likely to conclude at the end of the current MotoGP season with both Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller seen as faster (and cheaper) options for the Italian manufacturer.
Lorenzo Could Ride Satellite Yamaha in 2019 MotoGP
It appears Lorenzo will be shown the door at the end of the year. Will he be back on a Yamaha?
Lorenzo’s place in the Ducati squad was cast into doubt yet further after comments made by Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, who said during a Ducati media event, “Lorenzo is a great rider who has not succeeded in getting the best from our bike, a bike that has great strengths and some weaknesses. Unfortunately, neither he nor the technicians have managed to make the most of his talent. This is a bit of bitterness that remains.”
Where does that leave three-time MotoGP World Champion Lorenzo? The Majorcan was originally linked with a move to Suzuki to replace Andrea Iannone—ironically the same ride he replaced at Ducati—but with Suzuki appearing to go for fellow Majorcan and current Moto2 star Joan Mir, that ride is out of the question.
Lorenzo is fast running out of options for not just a factory seat, but a seat at all in 2019, with the latest candidate coming in the form of a satellite Yamaha ride with Marc VDS, which has been in negotiations to split from Honda.
Yamaha has no satellite team signed up for 2019 after Tech3 announced it would move to KTM, and Dorna is known to want to keep Lorenzo in the championship on competitive equipment. Should the Yamaha and Marc VDS partnership materialize, Lorenzo would likely be partnered with incumbent Franco Morbidelli.
