Lorenzo leaves Yamaha to join Ducati in 2017

Lorenzo's impending move to Ducati had been a public secret for weeks, and was finally announced on the Monday before the Spanish Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend at Jerez.

The agreement between the reigning champion and his new employer is for two seasons, covering 2017 and 2018, with an option for a third.

It puts to an end an eight-year partnership between Lorenzo and Yamaha, the team with which he moved up to MotoGP in 2008 and with which he has competed ever since.

The 28-year-old has taken the Japanese manufacturer's last three world titles (in 2010, 2012 and 2015) in the top category, and also has accumulated 41 wins, 99 podiums, 36 pole positions and 27 fastest laps in 138 starts.

It's a resume that, depending what happens during the remainder of the 2016 campaign, already ranks Lorenzo among the most successful riders ever in Yamaha MotoGP history.

The move leaves a slot open in the garage next to Valentino Rossi, a position that could be filled by Maverick Vinales, who is also considering other offers.

It is also unclear who will be Lorenzo's teammate at Ducati, with the team set to decide between its existing riders Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone.

Lorenzo admitted a few days ago that Yamaha gave him the best offer he has ever had, but the Spaniard had been feeling like a stranger in his own team, a squad completely devoted to Rossi.

That has played into the hands of Ducati and the Borgo Panigale squad's boss Gigi Dall'Igna, an old colleague of Lorenzo in the lower categories.

Dall'Igna's persuasiveness, and the promising form of the 2016 Desmosedici GP - combined with an annual salary of over 10 million euros - were the prime motivating factors Lorenzo needed to make the most important decision of his career.