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Can Suzuki MotoGP boss Brivio tame Andrea Iannone?

As Suzuki MotoGP team boss Davide Brivio surveyed the laptimes on day two of the Valencia test, he joked: “Iannone didn’t regret his choice.”

After four years with Ducati, two in the satellite Octo Pramac Team and two in the factory squad, 27-year-old Andrea Iannone had to take a difficult decision: remain in Ducati, despite their decision to invest everything in Jorge Lorenzo, or be the number one rider at Suzuki. He opted for the latter and becomes the manufacturer’s reference point for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, sharing the garage with promising rookie Alex Rins.

On Sunday at the Spanish finale, Iannone said goodbye to Ducati after a superb duel with Valentino Rossi and bagged a podium finish. To thank the Italian manufacturer, he wore a T-shirt, declaring his love: “One world, one love, one family, thank you Ducati”.

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But then he expressed his disappointment: “I believed in Ducati and I gave everything to stay, but they were interested in another rider Lorenzo. I had two offers on the table, one from Ducati and one from Suzuki, but they were very different. When I returned in Malaysia after four races because of my injury, the atmosphere in the garage was cold. Yes, they supported me but I expected something different. I suffered from that, I’m a sensible guy. I will miss Ducati, but I’m sure they will miss me.”

On Tuesday, the 2017 season kicked off and Iannone met expectations. Brivio was happy with his choice. “We have an experienced rider who can be a consistent podium challenger on the GSX-RR and a rookie that we can help to grow, as we did with Maverick Viñales.”

The Italian is not scared by Iannone’s aggressive style which sometimes lacks some consistency. “On the contrary,” he stated, “I like Andrea’s riding style and his attitude to tackle a race as it was the last one. I think this is the right approach for our machine. It’s still a young project and we are constantly progressing. We wanted a rider who believed in the programme and who always gives his maximum. We expect a lot from Andrea. He is a rider capable of winning races and we actually we made the contract before he won a race, so we believed that already.”

The Italian took little time to adapt to the new bike and the new team, and impressed from the first exit. Despite the two crashes, one on Tuesday and the second one on Wednesday, he made progress every time he jumped on the bike, confirming his determination and hunger for results. He finally finished fourth overall, six-tenths off pace setter Maverick Viñales, his predecessor at Suzuki.

Despite the fact he was not allowed to make a comparison between the two machines and mention either Ducati or Suzuki, he expressed his satisfaction. “I started with a great enthusiasm and I am happy. I have a good impression of the bike and I feel well with the team. We are just starting to know each other but I’m confident. There is a lot of potential. The GSX-RR has a very good chassis. We have a very good corner speed and this is a good point for me. I can ride well.”

Iannone and the Suzuki will be back on track next week at Jerez for two more important days of testing. Alex Rins will not take part. In the heavy crash on Wednesday at turn 12 he damaged the T8 and T12 vertebras and the doctors prescribed one month of rest.

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