The Italian pilot has filed an appeal against his 18-month suspension with the CAS, while WADA is asking that the decision be replaced by a four-year suspension.
Italian MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone has appealed his 18-month suspension for doping as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency, the Sports Arbitral Tribunal (CAS) announced on Tuesday. Iannone, 30, who runs for Aprilia, was suspended 18 months on March 31 following a positive test for a doping product carried out after the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang on November 3, 2019. He was tested positive for drostanolone propionate, an anabolic androgenic steroid banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM).
“Andrea Iannone requests that the decision be canceled while WADA requests that the decision be replaced by a four-year suspension for the pilot,” the CAS said in a statement. This corresponds to the period provided for this type of offense. The court said that no date had yet been set for the examination of these appeals.
Iannone had also been disqualified from the last two races of the 2019 season, in Malaysia and Valencia (Spain) on November 17, which he had not finished anyway. As a result, he retained his 16th place in the 2019 ranking with 43 points. Aprilia also announced Tuesday that Andrea Iannone’s teammate, Spaniard Aleix Espargaro, had extended his contract with the Italian team until the end of 2022.