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Why keeping Iannone is more trouble for Aprilia than he's worth

OPINION: Andrea Iannone's recent spat with team-mate Aleix Espargaro is the latest episode in a catalogue of controversy that has dogged the MotoGP race winner. Regardless of the outcome of his drugs test, Aprilia stands to lose more than it gains by keeping him

Andrea Iannone's career exists in limbo as he continues to await the outcome of his WADA doping infringement trial, which follows a urine sample taken during last year's Malaysian MotoGP round that tested positive for an anabolic steroid.

Provisionally suspended by the FIM, the Aprilia rider has been forced to miss the two pre-season tests at Sepang and in Qatar, while his participation in the opening race of the year next month is also in serious doubt as he waits for the results of a hair sample (an apparently more accurate way of testing for banned substances) he submitted in the wake of his failed urine samples.

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Author Lewis Duncan

Lewis Duncan is Autosport's International Editor and primary motorcycle racing reporter. A motorsport fan from a young age, Lewis became interested in journalism when he won the star letter competition in the February 2012 issue of F1 Racing Magazine. A member of the Autosport Academy from 2017, Lewis became a freelance motorcycle racing correspondent for Autosport in 2019 before becoming a full-time staffer in 2020 as International Editor.

While MotoGP coverage is his priority, Lewis also covers World Superbikes and road racing across the Motorsport Network, and hosts the Tank Slappers Podcast. He has also occasionally commentated on 750 Motor Club meetings. Away from motorsport, Lewis is a keen record collector with a collection unashamedly largely featuring Iron Maiden and Rush and an avid guitar player.