Andrea Dovizioso was officially welcomed into the Yamaha family at Misano with confirmation of his partnership for the 2021-22 seasons.

The Italian will make his debut with the Petronas SRT satellite team in front of home fans, at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the San Marino round, as Franky Morbidelli commences his promotion into the Factory Monster Energy Team.

The three-time MotoGP runner up returns to YZR-M1 machinery after a one year stint back in 2012 - in which he secured six podiums - and brings a wealth of experience and information across multi-manufacturers culminating in his 15 MotoGP victories and 62 trips to the premier class podium. Despite the so far unknown future of the Petronas outfit, Dovizioso’s signing as a Yamaha rider within the satellite structure confirms its continuation with the Japanese brand for the coming season.

“Racing with Yamaha has always been my dream, and that’s why when the opportunity arrived I did not think twice, although I know it’s going to be a tough challenge for me,” Dovizioso said on the announcement.

“I’ve got many things ahead of me to learn: a new bike, a new team, a new working system. It‘s a big challenge that starts at Misano, my home GP. This makes it even more exciting. I can’t wait to be aboard my M1!

“Although I didn’t expect to be back in MotoGP like this, I never closed the door on it and it’s good to be here with Yamaha and Petronas Yamaha SRT,” he continued. “I wanted to try to enjoy a new situation and I’m really happy to be back.

“It will be interesting to be on a completely different bike to that I rode before and I’m looking forward to the experience. I visited the team in Aragon and it felt almost like it was 2012 again and sitting on the Yamaha bike felt just as good. It was great to have a first sit on the bike and do the initial adjustments, so that we’re already one step ahead of FP1 here at Misano.

“I will need to get on track to understand the details and it would have been better to have had a test before jumping into a race, but I start with no pressure and it will be great to get going in Misano for the final five races of the season.”

“We are delighted that a MotoGP star and talent like Andrea is joining the Yamaha line-up,” Yamaha Motor Racing’s Managing Director, Lin Jarvis added. “We warmly welcome him to the Yamaha MotoGP group as a very important member of our MotoGP programme.

“We have found ourselves in unprecedented circumstances this year that resulted in totally unexpected rider issues for both Yamaha teams. We experienced some unforeseen and unfortunate events, but we have been able to transform the problems into new opportunities.

“Andrea has been away from MotoGP for a short sabbatical, but we are certain that a rider of his calibre will soon find his speed again. We are really looking forward to working with him as a member of Yamaha‘s satellite team, and we will be supporting him in every way we can.”