--- title: "Andrea Dovizioso Rejects Ducati’s Alleged Lowball Contract Offer" description: "Despite severely outperforming his teammate, Dovizioso's salary is merely a fraction of Jorge Lorenzo's." date: "2018-04-27" modified: "2018-04-27" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20452/andrea-dovizioso-rejects-ducatis-alleged-lowball-contract-offer" categories: - "News" tags: - "Ducati" - "Jorge Lorenzo" - "MotoGP" - "motorcycle racing" - "News" - "racing" - "Racing News" --- # Andrea Dovizioso Rejects Ducati’s Alleged Lowball Contract Offer ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* MotoGP rider [Andrea Dovizioso]() has rejected Ducati's initial contract offer, which aims to keep the Italian in the motorcycle racing squad after the 2018 racing season, which is when his current contract expires. The contract negotiations between Ducati and Dovizioso have been going on for some time, but there hadn't been any reports of an extension being signed, or if the two parties had agreed on any specific terms. Things changed following the [MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas](), where Dovizioso once again was able to wrangle the underperforming Ducati Desmosedici GP 18 to finish a strong fifth place, six spots ahead of his world-champion teammate Jorge Lorenzo. According to *Motorsport*, Ducati Team manager Davide Tardozzi admitted to "being confident that the contract renewal would be signed soon" in early April, but a much different picture was painted earlier this week when Dovizioso's manager Simone Battistella said the two parties were "far apart." ![message-editor%2F1524837927706-gettyimages-939138446.jpg]() *GETTY* ![message-editor%2F1524837981879-gettyimages-949170056.jpg]() *GETTY* "We are far. Here we've had a meeting with Ducati and finally we said we have to keep working to make Andrea feel comfortable," Battistella told *Motorsport*. "The rider (Dovizioso) is not asking for something extraordinary, nothing impossible, just what he deserves taking into account the job that he's doing. But at the moment, we are not close to a deal." The 32-year-old Italian rider isn't letting the fantasy of winning more races with a racing team from his come country lower his salary expectations, especially when his [teammate's salary]() is said to be $12-million per year, while Dovizioso's is only $2 million annually. The staggering salary gap is even more insulting when the two riders' results are analyzed closely. Dovizioso has won seven of the last 16 MotoGP races and currently leads the 2018 world championship. In comparison, Lorenzo sits in 16th spot in the [world championship]() and hasn't even come close to matching the Dovizioso performance during any of the 2018 races. ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()