Jorge Lorenzo has decided against a shock Ducati return for the 2020 MotoGP season and told Honda he will instead see out his existing contract, Autosport has learned.
It is understood that Lorenzo, who has been on the sidelines with injury since June’s Dutch TT at Assen, informed Honda team boss Alberto Puig on Saturday of his intention to remain at Honda, amid speculation linking him to an imminent move to Pramac Ducati.
The triple MotoGP champion’s decision paves the way for Jack Miller to retain his Pramac ride, with the Australian’s contract renewal having only been delayed by Lorenzo’s potential interest in reuniting with Ducati.
While Miller said on Thursday that he feared such rumours could be true, Honda itself remained quiet – with team manager Alberto Puig simply saying “we don’t know anything, only that Jorge has an active contract and that contracts are signed to be fulfilled”.
Autosport understands that Honda took a stance of waiting for Lorenzo himself to confirm his plans one way or the other – but also advising the 32-year-old to reach a swift decision.
Lorenzo is also believed to have offered his services to the Petronas Yamaha team during the saga.
Though he has now declared his intention to stay put, the episode is likely to create an awkward situation for Lorenzo inside Honda as it will clearly be aware of his attempts to forge a future elsewhere.
With Lorenzo now out of the picture, it is anticipated that a deal for Miller to stay at Pramac on a Ducati GP20 will be signed at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday.