MotoGP rider gets away with 18 months suspension after positive test

Last December MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone was found positive for anabolic steroids. The criminal court of the FIM (the equivalent of the FIA for motorcycles) has therefore now imposed a suspension of 18 months on him. A sentence he'll appeal.

The suspension takes effect at the time the positive test was announced. That was on 17 December 2019 and therefore expires on 16 June 2021. Because of the winter and the postponement of Grands Prix due to the coronavirus, Iannone will miss relatively few races.

The Italian gets away well with an 18 month suspension because the FIM recognized his defense for the intake of steroids. Iannone claims that the drug with 'contaminated' food accidentally got into his system. The penalty is therefore lower. In other cases an automatic suspension of four years applies.

Although the punishment is not that bad, it remains to be seen whether Iannone will return to the highest level. He has passed the age of 30 and has had a number of unfortunate seasons at Suzuki and Aprilia. According to The Race the expectation is that Bradley Smith will take over his position with the Italian team for the time being.