Suzuki team boss Davide Brivio – a knowledgeable Italian GP insider, as confirmed that Lorenzo #99 will be signing in with DUCATI in 2017, the source is reliable as Davide Brivio past portfolio includes luring Rossi to Yamaha from Honda, and growing his VR46 brand, now a market leader. Brivio let the remark slip to Dorna’s cameraman while being asked about rumors that he would lose his star young rider Maverick Vinales in 2017.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, a hot property, is understood to have been approached already to replace Lorenzo at Yamaha.
So it looks like Rossi's strategy worked, when Rossi said to the Media “To sign with Ducati you need to be brave, you need big balls,” said Rossi. “So I think Lorenzo stays with Yamaha.", Lorenzo appeared transparent to the subject and maintained its cool but not for long. Specially because Ducati have been negotiating with him for some time and Yamaha had already been pushing Lorenzo to make a decision.. in my humble opinion not a good management strategy from Yamaha.
"I'm in a different situation from Valentino,” the Spaniard told Movistar. “I am the defending champion and with my past [no problems with other teams], I have more options and can wait.
“I have had a proposal [from Yamaha] on the table for a week, which is what I wanted. It’s very good, better than the current contract. It's a big deal but I decided to wait.”
Lorenzo told MCN: “Suzuki has been out of the competition for a while and for them it is not going to be easy to be come back and be at the top fighting with Honda and Yamaha. And Ducati signed a new engineer one year ago and I know Gigi Dall’Igna from time with Aprilia in the 250 class and I am sure he will make good things happen in Ducati.
"Ducati needs some more time to arrive at the top and probably they don’t want to have a top rider before they have a good bike. But the important thing is I have always been very close to Yamaha and we achieved good things together and I think the best is yet to come.
"I feel even if my season has not gone so well up until now, with Yamaha in normal circumstances I can still win races and fight for the championship, so for the moment it is the best option for me and also Yamaha.”
"Ducati needs some more time to arrive at the top and probably they don’t want to have a top rider before they have a good bike. But the important thing is I have always been very close to Yamaha and we achieved good things together and I think the best is yet to come.
"I feel even if my season has not gone so well up until now, with Yamaha in normal circumstances I can still win races and fight for the championship, so for the moment it is the best option for me and also Yamaha.”
Last night Jorge Lorenzo and his management signed off on a deal that will see him join Ducati as their star factory rider in 2017.
Sources close to Lorenzo say they met one final time with Ducati and sponsors, where the deal was confirmed.
Audi and Phillip Morris representatives were also consulted on the final contract.
It's assumed this will put in place a contract for Maverick Vinales to join the factory Yamaha team as Rossi's 2017 teammate.
This morning CoTA held an rider parade lap like they used to do at Daytona: riders sitting on the back of convertibles going around the track waving to fans. Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez rode in one ragtop, as did several other teammates, sitting side by side, chatting while they waved to fans and shivered in the cold.
Rossi and Lorenzo rode in separate cars.
Sources:
Cyclenews / Motorsport.com / Soymotero.net / MCN
No comments:
Post a Comment