Ducati officially announces Stoner departure

As previously reported by Motorsport.com, the 33-year-old Australian has opted not to continue his association with Ducati, the brand with which he won his first premier class crown in 2007.

He joined the Bologna marque in 2016 as a tester and brand ambassador after ending his relationship with Honda, performing development work on the Desmosedici bike.

However, he has not ridden this year's GP18 bike since January's preliminary pre-season test at Sepang as he has been recovering from an operation on his right shoulder.

Stoner's agreement with Ducati was for three years and on Tuesday it was confirmed it will not be renewed.

“I want to thank Ducati for the great memories and especially the support and enthusiasm of the Ducati fans for our shared passion for racing and motorcycling, I’ll always remember this," said Stoner.

“Over the past three years I have really enjoyed doing my job with the test team, the engineers and technicians, as we worked towards improving the Desmosedici GP package and I sincerely want to wish the team all the very best for their future endeavours.”

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali added: “Casey is and will always remain in the hearts of Ducatisti and it is also on their behalf that we wish to thank him for the important collaboration he has offered us over the last three years.

"His technical indications and suggestions, together with the work and the feedback of the factory riders and Michele Pirro, have helped to make the Desmosedici GP one of the most competitive bikes on the grid, and his advice for the development of our production bikes has been just as precious and useful.

"Ducati and its many fans wish to offer their sincere thanks and their best wishes to Casey and his family for a serene and happy future.”