The 18 months of disqualification inflicted on Andrea Iannone was the hot topic of our Wednesday evening live Facebook session with guest Carlo Pernat. The Italian manager expressed his point of view on the issue, showing great disappointment and disbelief.

"It must be an April fool’s joke - Carlo began - I think there is no other way to define today's sentence against Andrea. You can't ruin a rider’s career in this way, since it's inconceivable. We are getting to the point where if we are at a restaurant in Sepang, we would have to ask for all the information on the food to see if it is contaminated or not ".

Pernat doesn’t mince words on the matter...

“It's a decision that I really don't agree with, and I don't mince many words in saying it. This nonsense will go down in history. Today's decision virtually confirms that they didn’t want to take responsibility for acquitting him, in order to avoid creating a precedent. All this is not admissible, also because then I begin to wonder about something else. If Andrea is found innocent and the CAS acquits him, who will pay the damages? Who will bear all the costs? It’s something truly surreal, which goes beyond all logic ".

It is therefore better to talk about something else, such as the fact that Guidotti of Pramac said he would be willing to have The Maniac back in his team.

“Guidotti is absolutely right. After this affair Andrea will have an even stronger anger inside him, as well as talent. The anger he has will give him the extra 10% to go beyond his talent. If I were Guidotti, I would take him immediately to Pramac, perhaps in 2021 ".

Then there is the background linked to his non-renewal with Ducati in the year in which Lorenzo arrived.

“I’m pleased that you have brought up the subject of his no to Ducati. I told him to stay with the Borgo Panigale team, also because Ducati made the first offer to Iannone instead of Dovizioso. I therefore want to reiterate that it was not Ducati that sent him away. Andrea simply did not accept that figure and consequently Ducati made the offer to Dovi, who halved his salary in order to remain. At that moment Andrea gambled away his career and now he would probably have a world championship title in his pocket. "

However, the subject of Iannone remains topical…

“As far as I know him, this will make him much stronger and will help to sort his head out, as it could be a turning-point. Andrea is proud and this situation will help to fill the gaps in his head. I got to know him well and he is a loyal and true guy, even though maybe his ways of doing things are not the best ".

Pernat has no doubts about his future…

"I am convinced that he will stay in Aprilia".

He also added a comment about Iannone’s past, given the relationship that has tied them for many years.

“I did everything I could for Andrea, trying to help him with the decisions to make. But he is a rider who only listens to himself ".

Finally, there is the subject of Belen...

"A sportsman changes when he has a showgirl nearby. Another example can be Biaggi with Anna Falchi. Andrea, however, managed to separate his private life from that of motorbikes. He trained constantly, even if he changed. You can rest assured that Belen didn’t ruin him. "

In addition to Iannone, we also chatted about the 2020 world championship, the start of which is surrounded by a large question mark...

“It will be a completely different world championship, because the costs will be revised, as will the wages and investments. The riders are fully aware of this. Who knows what will happen? Maybe Valentino will decide to change. Watch out for Lorenzo, maybe he'll want to take Valentino's place with Petronas. "

Finally, a word about the rider market, where one name that is doing the rounds is that of Zarco.

“Zarco is a strange rider. He is certainly strong, but on the character side he’s missing something. In fact, he lacks the concentration of a rider, he is too angelic, without a point of reference. I also see him sad and sad riders never win. In the past he left Yamaha to go to KTM and we all know how it ended. I think that in the light of this situation, this was one of the reasons why Quartararo decided to stay in Yamaha "