Is Andrea Dovizioso considering full-time MotoGP test role with Yamaha?

Former MotoGP racer Andrea Dovizioso says “now is not the moment” to speak about a full-time Yamaha test role despite recent outings on the M1.

Dovizioso retired from racing partway through the 2022 campaign after struggling for form with RNF Yamaha, whom he joined towards the end of 2021 following a brief sabbatical.

The former Honda and Ducati rider tested for Yamaha at Misano prior to the San Marino Grand Prix, filling in for Cal Crutchlow as the Briton continues to recovery from surgery on his hand.

Dovizioso took part in a secret private test at Mugello in preparation, while Yamaha is eyeing up another outing for the Italian in November.

This has sparked talk about Dovizioso potentially joining Yamaha full-time as a test rider next year.

This move would make sense for the Japanese manufacturer, given his experience of the M1 - from when it was competitive in 2012 and when it wasn’t from 2021 - and his prior working relationship with technical director Max Bartolini.

When asked if a test role was something he was discussing with Yamaha, Dovizioso said: 
“I don’t know. This is not the right moment to speak about that.

“They are involved in a lot of things because they are creating the second team with Pramac. They are pushing so much to try to come back.

“They have spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create the best situation.

“So, it takes time, step by step. Now is not the moment to speak about that [a full-time test role].

“It was so nice to spend more days with them on the track and then we’ll see.”

Dovizioso says his pace in the Misano test was “not too bad” having been off the bike for two years, while he talked up his relationship with the Japanese marque.

“Well, I did a test in Mugello a month before and after that when I came here [to Misano] the feeling was normal,” he added.

“I was able to push and my braking [style] came back. That was a good feeling, because it was my way to be aggressive and to be fast.

“The lap time was not too bad, that is very important. In two years a lot of things have happened.

“They [the bikes] are much faster, for many reasons, for all the development - even the tyres. But it was so nice to feel everything even if you are one second, one second and a half slower.

“For the future, I don’t know. We have a really good relationship with Yamaha, I have a good relationship with Max from the experience I did with Ducati.

“It was so nice to spend time with them. They are living in a strange situation.

“They have to recover a big gap. It takes time, but everything has to be step by step and then understand everything because the competitors now are very, very strong.”