The ‘what if’ from Andrea Iannone’s Sepang MotoGP return

Aside from the MotoGP title fight, the other major on-track story at the 2024 Malaysian Grand Prix was Andrea Iannone’s return.

The one-time grand prix winner was drafted in by the VR46 Ducati squad to replace Fabio Di Giannantonio, who ended his season early to undergo surgery on his left shoulder he injured at the Austrian GP.

Iannone hadn’t raced in MotoGP since the 2019 Valencia GP, after which he was suspended from competition and subsequently sentenced to a four-year ban for a doping violation.

In his first MotoGP race since then, Iannone was an impressive 17th in qualifying but the physical toll of modern grand prix machinery meant he could do no more than finish second-to-last in both races.

“He was all smiles when he came back, it was a different Iannone to the one that left I suppose you could say, that took himself a bit more seriously,” Crash’s MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren, who was at Sepang, said of Iannone’s return.

“But he was just loving being back, and as he tried to stress over the weekend just the reality of riding these modern MotoGP bikes just physically destroyed him.

“The upper body, the braking, he could just not… as he said, the limit isn’t the tyres, the limit is Andrea. It was quite surprising that somebody who is obviously still a very fit person, still racing full-time in World Superbikes, was emphasising just how difficult it is, how physically different.

“I think he compared World Superbikes, the physical effort, to riding your bicycle as far as leaning the bike over, the lack of aero, the braking and everything else.

“But certainly he showed the speed was still there. There was a point in qualifying, he was following Bezzecchi and actually if he hadn’t have run wide at that final corner he might of even have outpaced him.

“So, it was impressive given he hadn’t done any testing, the speed is still clearly there, he’s still a very talented rider as I think we all knew. But certainly by Sunday evening he looked pretty worn out by it all.”

Crash Senior Journalist Lewis Duncan added: “Had [Lorenzo] Savadori not been there then Iannone is last in every race.

“It wouldn’t really be fair to expect anything else because he’s been off the bike for so long and Sepang is physical. The whole point wasn’t to particularly do anything, it was Valentino [Rossi] wanted to give Iannone something back and that’s fair enough.

“The qualifying lap was definitely intriguing, and it’s what if?

“Looking at the way things were going in 2019, and you remember at the start of 2020 the two Aprilia riders - Iannone and Espargaro - actually fell out quite hard because Iannone took quite a lot of undue credit for bike development and Aleix wasn’t very happy at the team launch in Qatar.

“You were looking at a situation where even without the ban, Iannone probably still wasn’t going to be on the grid in 2024.

“It’s frustrating, isn't it, because we know quick Iannone is and was, and he should probably have more than the one MotoGP win that he has.

“But just this frustrating character that focused a bit too much on his vanity and, as Pete says, maybe took himself a bit too seriously.

“I think there is an argument to be made that maybe there’s a bit more to Iannone than everyone is aware of and perhaps with a better surrounding and proper help we might have had a better version of the rider in MotoGP.

“As it is, the way life has gone for him it’s made him a bit more well-rounded, and the way he was speaking to the press was a lot more human.

“It’s a shame it took what it took for him to become the rider he should have been, because had he been the way he was this weekend throughout his career, coupled with that speed, coupled with that feisty character, Iannone would have been massive for MotoGP.”

For Crash’s Social Media Manager Jordan Moreland: “I think every sport has that type of character and I think Iannone is definitely one of motorcycle racing’s characters.

“I think if he ever releases a book it would be a best-seller, honestly. I think there’s a lot more to Iannone than just what we see. It was kind of nice to see him bike in MotoGP for me.

“When I saw him on track he didn’t look out of place, it looked like he’d been there all along. He just looked like he always looked and just to see someone… the Italian riders mentioned they watched him on TV and they’re sharing the box with him.

“It was kind of similar for me, like ‘Oh yeah, there’s Iannone again’. It was kind of cool. But he’s definitely a character and has definitely changed over the years.”