Andrea Iannone will be ‘a pain in the arse to beat’, says Alex Lowes

Despite a four-year absence from competitive action, Iannone’s return at the Jerez test was met with a P5 finish.

Winning in 2023 was nearly impossible for any other Ducati rider as world champion Alvaro Bautista was more dominant than ever before.

• Ducati issue an ominous assessment of Andrea Iannone’s first WorldSBK test 
• Jonathan Rea’s key first impression of new rival Andrea Iannone

But Iannone’s rivals, including the two-time WorldSBK champion, are expecting him to be in the mix for race wins.

A race winner in MotoGP, Iannone’s talent has never been questioned and therefore means Ducati’s line-up is arguably the best it’s ever had.

Speaking about Iannone, Bautista said: “He’s very fast and he was fast in the past; the problem will be when the race comes because a test is different to the race. 

“I am impressed with his performance as he was really fast. It is nice to have good riders in the Championship.”

Iannone was the last Ducati rider to be confirmed for 2024 after signing with the GoEleven squad.

Iannone joins Bautista, Nicolo Bulega, Sam Lowes, Danilo Petrucci and Michael Ruben Rinaldi aboard a Panigale V4 R.

But it’s not just his fellow Ducati riders who are expecting big things, as Alex Lowes believes the Italian will be a ‘pain in the arse’.

“The question mark is the time he’s had away from the track,” Lowes told WorldSBK.com. “I actually saw him on track and gave him a little thumbs up; I can imagine his life is so much better now with a focus and racing. 

“You’re talking about someone who has won in MotoGP, made Moto2 races look easy… there’s nothing else to say. 

“The bike is clearly very good and he’s a fantastic rider, so as soon as he gets a little bit of rust off, it’s another Ducati that’s competing for race wins. 

“Honestly and personally, I’m happy to see him here; welcome to back racing! He’s going to be another pain in the arse to try and beat next year!”