Ducati will have no objections for Jorge Lorenzo to ride the Honda in the two post-2018 MotoGP season tests as Danilo Petrucci will ride the factory bike.
Lorenzo will leave Ducati at the end of the 2018 MotoGP season to join Honda in 2019 and beyond alongside Marc Marquez, with Petrucci graduating to the factory Ducati team alongside Andrea Dovizioso.
In the previous seasons, there have been instances where teams have barred riders from testing the different machinery when switching teams, but Ducati will allow Lorenzo to ride the Honda in Valencia and Jerez tests after the 2018 season.
“Concerning Jorge, we will obviously let him test with Honda, his new team,” said Ducati’s Sporting Director Pablo Ciabatti. “This is quite normal and in the end he will be a Ducati rider until the last race in Valencia.
“But then there’s no reason not to let him test with the new team. Obviously, there will be restrictions on branding to respect our sponsors, but he will be free to do the two tests in Valencia and Jerez with his new team.
“With Danilo, obviously his move is easier because he is coming from another Ducati team, from Pramac Racing team, so he will come to the factory team and do both the tests on factory bikes. So, quite easy on our side.”
One of the prime reasons for teams not allowing a rider testing for his new team is to give him as less time as possible to learn the new machine. Also, as Ciabatti alluded too, the sponsor contracts becomes crucial as well who don’t allow them to test for a rival team.