Andrea Iannone is confident he will not receive any further action as a consequence of his provisional suspension from racing, following the revelation he has failed a routine drug test.
A communication from the FIM this morning confirmed the Aprilia MotoGP rider has tested positive for a non-specified substance under the ‘Exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids’ group at the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang.
Iannone is therefore banned from motorcycle racing competition pending a B sample test. Should this also come back positive, Iannone faces up to a four-year ban from all competition.
While Aprilia has remained quiet on the matter for now, Iannone has taken to his Instagram account to express his surprise at the result and vows to reassure both his fans and his MotoGP team.
“I'm totally relaxed and I want to reassure my fans and Aprilia Racing,” he wrote.
“I am open to any counter analysis in a matter that surprises me, also because - at the moment - I have not received any official communication.
“Over the years, and also this season, I have undergone continuous checks, obviously always proving to be negative, which is why I have every confidence in the positive conclusion of this affair.”
The suspension comes at a fortunate time if any for Iannone with track action not set to begin until February 2020 when MotoGP testing gets underway at Sepang.
What next for Andrea Iannone?
As for the outcome, much will depend on the B sample and whether the banned substance found in his A sample is ruled to have been prescribed erroneously or taken knowingly.
Those details will determine whether Iannone is exonerated, slapped on the wrist or given a career-ending ban, but unless it is the former it is hard to see how Aprilia will want to continue with Iannone, especially on the back of an underwhelming first year with the team.
Should worst come to the worst for Iannone – and by extension Aprilia – it would surely open the door for Bradley Smith to make a return to MotoGP. The Briton is the team’s test and development rider and has taken part in a number of races since being forced out the series as a full-time rider.
He is also relatively available with his only 2020 commitment the3 MotoE World Cup.
