Official: Iannone doesn’t get Barcelona MotoGP outing as VR46 calls up Pirro

The VR46 MotoGP team has announced that Andrea Iannone will not race its GP23 at the Solidarity Grand Prix, with Michele Pirro called up instead.

VR46 full-timer Fabio Di Giannantonio ended his 2024 season at the Thai GP, as he elected to go for surgery on the left shoulder he dislocated in August at the Austrian GP.

Di Giannantonio’s operation was a success, but meant he would miss the last two rounds of 2024 in order to be fit in time for pre-season testing on the GP25 next February.

Valentino Rossi decided to give Iannone his first MotoGP outing since 2019 in last week’s Malaysian GP, with the Italian 17th in the grand prix having shown flashes of speed throughout the weekend.

At the time, Iannone wasn’t sure if he would be on the bike for the Barcelona finale, which has been moved from Valencia due to the deadly flooding in the region.

On Monday ahead of this weekend’s Barcelona finale, known as the Solidarity GP, VR46 has confirmed that Ducati test rider Pirro will fill in for Di Giannantonio.

It will mark Pirro’s first outing in 2024, with Ducati thought to be keen on using the opportunity presented by Di Giannantonio’s absence to give its tester some valuable race time ahead of the post-Solidarity GP test.

Pirro hasn’t been able to make any wildcard appearances this year due to the concession rules restricting Ducati from doing so.

“First of all, thanks to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and Ducati for this great opportunity to close the season on a MotoGP,” Pirro said.

“It is always nice to race in this category and then also with Valentino's colours, whom I thank together with Uccio [Salucci] and Pablo [Nieto].

“I send a big hug to Fabio, he was doing really well but not being 100% physically fit on this engine size is complicated and next year he really has a great opportunity with the GP25.

“It will be interesting for me to race on the GP23, I will be able to see where we have made some steps forward.

“I have no expectations for the race, but I am happy to race, also for all the people affected by the floods in Valencia, and I hope to honour the team and the working group. See you on the track.”

Racing at the Solidarity GP will maintain Pirro’s unbroken run of competing in at least one MotoGP event since his sole full-time campaign in 2012.