MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo confirms Aprilia is an option

Jorge Lorenzo has confirmed that Aprilia is an option for a MotoGP testing role move for 2021.

Jorge Lorenzo was signed by Yamaha to be their European Test Rider for 2021, however COVID-19 restrictions have slowed proceedings quite a lot meaning Lorenzo has not been given the track time he initially anticipated, riding just 4 days so far in 2020.

Whilst other test teams have returned to track to test, Lorenzo has been at home, not riding the 2019 and not 2020 Yamaha M1 he should be testing to gather information and improve the bike. Rumours have circulated this week that Lorenzo could be about to be pushed out of Yamaha in favour of Andrea Dovizioso who would take up the test rider role, hopefully with more success and track time than Jonas Folger and Jorge Lorenzo.

With Aprilia pushing Bradley Smith to the side, Lorenzo could be about to step in and take up the test rider role for Aprilia with the hopes of turning the bike into a race winner, as Dani Pedrosa did for KTM.

In an interview with Spanish Media outlet AS which can be read here, Lorenzo confirmed that Aprilia is an option to be the test rider, however, would prefer to stay at Yamaha where he has won races and championships.

Regarding his role as a test rider, he confirmed he would prefer to stay at Yamaha saying, “I want to continue as a tester and my first option is still Yamaha, so I have won with them and because I feel very good with the bike, but there are other options as well.

I spoke with Lin Jarvis (head of the Yamaha team) and he told me that he would soon have news from Japan about the plan that they would like to implement for next year, and I am waiting to hear from him. Let’s see what it tells me.

Yamaha has priority because the team of the present always has priority in all cases, and because of the comfort of knowing people already and because of what I have achieved with them in the past, because Yamaha is the only factory with which I have been MotoGP champion and because the M1 for me has always been a natural bike.”

But he did not rule out Aprilia as another option, “The other option is Aprilia, I have to be prepared to have a plan B and Aprilia is an interesting option for me. I started [racing] with the Piaggio Group, because Derbi belonged to them and I entered the World Championship with them, winning races. Then I went to Aprilia and got my first two world championships, so I have a winning story with Aprilia and it would be nice to close the circle, if that was the case, with them.”

It is undeniable that it would be interesting to see Jorge Lorenzo on the Aprilia, confirming he would like to do wildcards next year with either Yamaha or Aprilia, only time will tell and with Andrea Dovizioso expected to be announced at Yamaha in the coming week, Aprilia could be on the cards.

Source – AS

Featured image – www.motogp.com