Paris (AFP)
The Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) announced to take a break from his career as a MotoGP rider in 2021 and "want to remain free from any commitment for the moment", Tuesday on social networks.
The 34-year-old Dovizioso currently sits in 6th place in the world ranking with 117 points, 45 points behind leader Johan Mir (Suzuki).
The Transalpine is mainly known for having been the toughest opponent of Marc Marquez (titled 6 times world champion in the premier class on his Honda), each time finishing second behind the Spaniard in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
"I will come back to MotoGP as soon as I find a project that meets (my) passion and (my) ambition, with an organization that shares the same objectives, values and working methods", "Desmodovi" said in his short statement online.
The native of Forli (northeast of Italy) had announced in mid-August that he would leave Ducati regardless of his arrival at the end of the season.
With this declaration, he dismisses the noise of the corridors which made him a possible test rider for various manufacturers of the motorcycle world championship.
In 19 Grand Prix seasons, all categories combined, Andrea Dovizioso has won no less than 20 pole positions, 103 podiums including 25 victories.
In 2021 the riders of the official Ducati team will be the Australian Jack Miller and the Italian Francesco Bagnaïa (9th and 16th).
© 2020 AFP