With Cal Crutchlow's ongoing injury issues, Yamaha were forced to turn to an old friend ahead of the San Marino Grand Prix with Andrea Dovizioso jumping aboard the Yamaha M1. The MotoGP™ Legend was then present throughout the weekend in Misano, including being spotted in the box during Monday's Official Test, so is the Italian preparing for a return to the sport in 2025 as a key piece to Yamaha's journey back to the top?
"It was so nice to be back on a MotoGP™ bike. These bikes are unique and after 2 years, feeling again that stiffness, that rigidity and that power was really nice. I did a Test in Mugello before my test here at Misano and after that, when I came here, the feeling was normal. I was able to push and my braking started to come back.
"That was a good feeling because it was my way to be aggressive and to be fast. And the lap time was not too bad, it was important. In 2 years, a lot of things have happened. They're much faster for many reasons; all of the development and even the tyres. But it was so nice to feel everything, even if you are a second, a second and a half slower."
Yamaha have made wholesale changes over the past 12 months in an attempt to close the gap to the top, with arguably the most influential change being the addition of Max Bartolini as their new Technical Director. The Italian worked alongside Gigi Dall'Igna for well over a decade and, as a result, worked closely with Dovizioso during his long partnership with the Bologna factory.
"Now we have a really good relationship with Yamaha," continued the 38-year-old. "I also have a really good relationship with Max, from the experience I had with Ducati. It was so nice to spend time with them. They're in a strange situation, they have to recover a big gap and that takes time, but everything has to be done step by step and they have to understand every small bit because the competitors now are very very strong."
As a result, rumours have began swirling about the possible addition of Dovizioso into the blue brand's test efforts from next year. Current Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 rider Augusto Fernandez is expected to be announced soon as an addition to their Test Team, but could Dovizioso soon follow?
"I don't know, this is not the right moment to speak about that. They're involved in a lot of things because they're creating the second team with Pramac, they're pushing so much to try to come back. They're putting a lot of money and effort into creating the best situation. It takes time, they're going step by step, so now is not the moment to speak about that. It was so nice to spend all this weekend on track with them and that's it for now."
Monster Energy Yamaha boss Maio Meregalli also confirmed over the weekend that Dovizioso looks set to next be on the Yamaha M1 in November: "Now we have another test planned in Jerez in November where if Cal won't be able to ride - and it will be very unlikely that he will be able to ride - we already asked Dovi to join.
"The first impression has been very, very good. He worked very well. He really jumped into the project. He is very analytical. He looks a bit more an engineer than a rider!"