Dovizioso turns down Yamaha offer, set to put career on hold

09 November 2020 - 16:02
By Reuters
Andrea Dovizioso of Italy and Ducati Team looks on during qualifying for the MotoGP of Europe at Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit on November 7 2020 in Valencia, Spain.
Image: Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Andrea Dovizioso of Italy and Ducati Team looks on during qualifying for the MotoGP of Europe at Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit on November 7 2020 in Valencia, Spain.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso has turned down an offer to become a test rider for Yamaha in 2021 and will put his career on hold, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Monday.

Dovizioso will leave Ducati at the end of the season, bringing an end to his eight-year association with the team and said last month that becoming a test rider was “a big option”.

But La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Dovizioso's manager Simone Battistella had communicated the rider's decision to Yamaha Motor Racing MD Lin Jarvis on Saturday, adding that the 34-year-old would not ride in 2021.

Yamaha were not immediately available for comment.

Dovizioso has won 13 races since joining Ducati in 2013, finishing runner-up in the championship in the last three seasons.