Andrea Iannone suspended for 18 months after positive steroid test

Italian rider Andrea Iannone’s MotoGP career could be over after he was banned for 18 months for a positive drug test.

Andrea Iannone has been suspended for 18 months.

Italian rider Andrea Iannone has been banned for 18 months for a positive drug test, a verdict that could signal an end to the 30-year-old’s MotoGP career.

The decision comes as the sport’s governing body FIM faces a decision on whether to postpone two races scheduled next month in France and Italy.

The first five MotoGP races have already been postponed, the latest being the Spanish GP at Jerez on May 3.

A new date is yet to be set as authorities wait for the coronavirus situation in Europe to become clearer.

The next scheduled races are at Le Mans in France on May 17 and Mugello in Italy on May 31.

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The FIM on Thursday night suspended Iannone from racing until June 2021 following positive tests for a prohibited substance during last November’s Malaysian MotoGP.

The Aprilia rider will miss the entire 2020 MotoGP season plus the first eight races of next year.

Andrea Iannone hits a seagull at the 2015 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Iannone claimed he was innocent and that he had eaten food contaminated with steroids. He spoke of his “silent suffering” while awaiting a decision.

Iannone, who has raced for Ducati, Suzuki and Aprilia at MotoGP level, is expected to launch an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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Hefty ban could bring the curtain on Iannone’s career.

Originally published as Andrea Iannone suspended for 18 months after positive steroid test