Scott Redding: Andrea Iannone “a risk” in WorldSBK, but “I understand his situation”

With WorldSBK in the middle of its silly season for the 2026 season, Scott Redding has said that he “understands” the situation of his fellow-former-MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone in trying to negotiate a deal.

Iannone’s future beyond the end of 2025 is unclear at the moment. After a solid return to racing in 2024 with the Go Eleven Ducati team which saw him on the podium five times and on the top step in Race 1 at Aragon, the Italian has struggled in 2025 with no podium finishes since the first round in Australia.

The performance of 2025 means the Italian is not certain to continue with Go Eleven in 2026. Already in 2024, Iannone was flirting with a move to BMW where performance would be balanced with a factory salary.

BMW now has an open seat after the announcement of Toprak Razgatlioglu’s switch to MotoGP for next season, but Andrea Iannone’s future beyond this year is still to be decided.

Scott Redding: 'Andrea Iannone was a risk'

Redding, who spoke at Donington of his opposition to the idea of riders having to pay to ride in World Superbike and who has since confirmed his full-time BSB ride for the remainder of 2025 with PBM Ducati, said that Iannone’s history with the doping ban that saw him out of racing from 2019 until the end of 2023 makes the Italian’s situation “different” to his own.

“His situation is a little bit different to me because he had to sit out for doping,” Scott Redding said at the UK WorldSBK.

“It’s different.

“He had to pay to come back because he was a risk, in my opinion. He’s a great rider, but he is a risk.

“He has a high profile, he has a girlfriend – or did, whatever – with a good profile to help him, let’s say, which [is] what you’ve got to do.”

Nonetheless, Redding added that it’s hard to accept for a rider that has won in MotoGP that he now has to pay to race in WorldSBK.

“But I understand his situation: the guy’s won MotoGP races, he’s rode for factory Ducati, Suzuki,” he said.

“Why is he paying to ride a Superbike still now?

“But then the results have not really been amazing. Phillip Island, he was good, then he’s a bit rocky.

“There’s better guys out there now, this is the problem, the young guys are coming up, the young guys are cheaper.

“For him, he brought some money to the team, but I think he earned a lot more money than me in MotoGP, so maybe he can do it for one or two years.

“But, even for someone that has a lot of money, there’s a time that you wake up and go ‘This is not right, this is not why I did this in the first place.’

“Maybe it will change in the future, but we’ll see.”