Andrea Dovizioso will remain a Ducati rider in the MotoGP World Championship through to the end of 2020, after signing a new two-year deal with the Italian manufacturer.
Dovizioso moved to Ducati in 2013, and gave the Bologna firm its first serious MotoGP title challenge last year after winning six races and finishing runner-up to eventual champion Marc Marquez at the season finale in Valencia.
The Italian rider's current deal with Ducati expires at the end of this year, and he reportedly rejected an offer last month, as it is thought he was keen for Ducati to up his base salary from a supposed €2million.
Dovizioso admitted on the Thursday at Le Mans that negotiations were close to completion, with the team confirming the extension of his stay via its Twitter page prior to the second free practice session of the French Grand Prix weekend.
Dovizioso had been linked with a return to the factory Honda squad, for whom he rode from 2009 through 2011, with the Italian revealing last year that he came close to joining the Japanese marque again during the '16 'silly season'.
Dovizioso currently sits fifth in the standings, 24 points adrift of points leader Marquez, after failing to finish at Jerez due to a collision with team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Honda's Dani Pedrosa, and was second fastest in this morning's Le Mans FP1.
The second seat at Ducati is still up for grabs, with Lorenzo linked to a potential switch to Suzuki following 22 lacklustre races with the team, while former Ducati rider Andrea Iannone is rumoured to be in discussions about a shock return to Italian manufacturer, with Pramac duo Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci also in the frame.
Dovizioso joins fellow factory riders Yamaha's Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, Honda's Marquez, KTM's Pol Espargaro and his team-mate from next year Johann Zarco, Suzuki's Alex Rins and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro in securing their future beyond this season, with the latter two's deals announced on Thursday.
