Iannone set to race revised Ducati at Silverstone

Iannone has established himself as the “best of the rest” this season behind the untouchable leaders, sitting fourth in the riders’ standings and shading his experienced teammate Andrea Dovizioso.

In his first season as part of the Ducati works team, the young Italian has gained a lot in maturity, and he’s fully confident in his technical choices.

For example, in Brno he elected – unlike Dovizioso – not to ride the new GP15 bike as he preferred a machine fitted with the ‘old’ engine and bodywork.

“He’s so pragmatic that he barely tested it,” his manager Carlo Pernat told Motorsport.com. “He is quite conservative.

“He felt more comfortable and at ease with the older engine and bodywork. He didn’t want to take any risks.

“He acts like a veteran and highly experienced MotoGP rider, easily finding solutions to problems.

“Engineers listen to what he says because his comments are very accurate, and nine times out of 10 he’s right on what needs to be done on his machine.”

Misano test a success

Last Monday, Andrea Iannone tested the revised version of the GP15, powered by an updated engine and fitted with a modified bodywork.

The tests were performed at Misano, and were designed to prepare for the important San Marino Grand Prix, held on home soil.

Iannone’s tests did not last very long, as the Italian was said to be happy with the handling of the revised machine.

“It was not a major test session, but more of a chance to set-up the bikes for Misano,” said Pernat. “He did not complete many laps, but he was happy with the set-up.

“I can assure you that he will use the new engine and the new bodywork at Silverstone, because this bike is faster.”

On the other side of the fence, Andrea Dovizioso stuck to his own schedule. He spent more time than Iannone riding the new GP15 at Brno, he also completed more laps than him at Misano.

Dovizioso made back-to-back tests of several updated components that were introduced earlier this year. The test was designed to validate these parts and to understand why some costly mistakes were made in the early part of the season.