Andrea Iannone will return to the MotoGP World Championship for the Malaysian and Valencian Grand Prix.
After making a return to World Championship motorcycle racing this season in the World Superbike Championship, Andrea Iannone will also make a MotoGP return.
The Italian rider will ride for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in Malaysia and Valencia. Iannone will replace the injured Fabio di Giannantonio, who will undergo surgery on his left shoulder.
In Iannone's comeback season in World Superbikes with Team GoEleven he won a race and stood on the podium four further times.
When speaking about his MotoGP return Iannone said: “Riding the world champion bike is exciting. MotoGP is the most technological and high-performance bike, I'm honored that they thought of me and I felt like I had to say yes to this opportunity immediately as soon as it was offered to me.
"The challenge is certainly crazy, complex and demanding, as I haven't ridden a bike in this category for years and without having done tests or similar. I'm excited to be able to work with Ducati and the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, both for the very high level and for the friendship since years. I thank Valentino Rossi, Alessio Salucci, Pablo Nieto, Gigi Dall'Igna, Claudio Domenicali and Mauro Grassilli.”
Alessio Salucci, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team director welcomed Iannone back to the paddock: “I am very happy to confirm that Andrea will race with our colours on the Ducati Desmosedici GP. First of all, Andrea has shown to be in great shape, he closed the WorldSBK season on a high and has always remained close to Ducati.
"He is a great friend of the VR46 family, both mine and Vale’s. We are very happy to welcome him to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and to see him back on a MotoGP bike; it’s a really great story! At the same time, we all wish Fabio the best of luck as he will undergo shoulder surgery this week and we can’t wait to see him back on track in 2025”.