Iannone to make MotoGP return in Malaysian GP with VR46

VR46 has announced that Andrea Iannone will return to MotoGP for the first time since 2019, replacing Fabio di Giannantonio in this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

The news was made official on Monday morning, as di Giannantonio prepares to undergo a surgery on the left shoulder he broke in Austria in mid-August, leaving him out of action for the last two races of the year.

His substitute Iannone, now 35-years-old, previously spent seven seasons competing in the premier class, including four within the Ducati fold. The highlight of that stint a sole victory in 2016 at the Red Bull Ring, the first for the Borgo Panigale marque since Casey Stoner’s string of success in 2010.

But in 2019, coincidentally in Malaysia, Iannone tested positive for Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid present on the list of prohibited substances of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

He was sanctioned with a period of disqualification of one-and-a-half years, which was later extended to four years by the Court of Arbitration (CAS).

He was riding for Aprilia at that point in 2019, having joined the then-struggling Noale marque on a two-year deal.

Andrea Iannone, Team Go Eleven

Photo by: Ducati Corse

It wasn’t until the start of 2024 that the Italian could make a comeback in professional motorcycle racing, joining the satellite Go Eleven Ducati team in the World Superbike Championship.

Having impressed on production-based machinery this year with victory in Aragon and eighth-place finish in the standings, Iannone has been given a chance to return to MotoGP 1814 days after his last appearance in the series.

Ducati was considering a number of riders to replace di Giannantonio, who timed his surgery in a way that will put him in the best possible position for pre-season testing in 2025. But VR46, under the decisive influence of team owner Valentino Rossi, has taken a more eye-catching route.

The Italian, who will continue with Go Eleven in WSBK next year, is also in contention to ride one of VR46’s GP23 bikes in next month’s Valencia finale.

Iannone is being drafted into the team at a time when di Giannantonio feels he is performing at the optimum level, despite the injured shoulder.

“It's a bummer to stop now, as I'm feeling better than ever this season, I think I'm at my best,” he said after finishing a strong fourth in Sunday’s wet-weather Thailand Grand Prix.

Di Giannantonio has been one of the revelations of the year and his speed has been recognised by Ducati, which has signed him directly to its factory roster for 2025.

He will be the only rider other than factory team duo Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia to be allowed to run the latest-spec GP25 bike in 2025.

“‘It's very important to be fully recovered for the first test at Sepang in February, so I'm going to have surgery this week,” said the 26-year-old. “That way I will meet the deadlines set by the doctors.”