Abraham switched from MotoGP to World Superbikes for the 2016 season thanks to a ride with Milwaukee BMW. But he is now MotoGP-bound again, the Czech rider set to replace the underperforming Yonny Hernandez in the Aspar set-up.

Abraham will ride a two-year-old Ducati GP15 for the team, joining Alvaro Bautista, who will be on a year-old bike.

“I am really pleased to come back to MotoGP,” said Abraham. “I started to work on this goal as soon as I knew there was a possibility.

“I am really happy; coming back to Ducati, which is my favourite bike, and also thinking about my first season with them, which was my best season.

“It’s an honour to be a part of this team, which is so famous in the paddock, so professional and so good, and together with Ducati I believe we can make a very good connection.

“I’m really looking forward to that.”

“We are happy to be joined by Karel Abraham for next season,” added Aspar’s owner Jorge Martinez.

“He is a new rider for us, he is still young but he has a lot of experience. He has raced in every category of the World Championship and in MotoGP, already on a Ducati.

“I hope and want to be able to give him a competitive crew and bike so that he can show his worth.”

Abraham hasn't been completely without MotoGP miles this season, having helped KTM with its testing programme.