You’ll remember that, last year, Felipe Massa missed the end of the Formula 1 season after a very nasty accident. Ferrari initially replaced him with their long-term test driver Luca Badoer, who hadn’t raced in many years. It didn’t go well.

Ferrari’s parent company is Fiat, sponsor of the MotoGP factory Yamaha team. That’s mainly because Ferrari love Valentino Rossi, who is out injured, and for whom Yamaha need a replacement. You’d think that Fiat might offer some advice in the circumstances.

It would seem not. Because Yamaha have announced that Rossi’s replacement is their long-term test rider Wataru Yoshikawa, who hasn’t raced in many years.

Yamaha are doing exactly what Ferrari did last year, with so little success. Astonishing. Admittedly, when Ferrari later put Giancarlo Fisichella in the car, it didn’t get any better. But that’s not the point.

There are even more similarities. Ferrari’s first choice of replacement was Michael Schumacher, but that didn’t work out. Yamaha had apparently looked to move Colin Edwards up to the factory team, and fill his Tech 3 Yamaha seat with Yamaha World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow. But that couldn’t be made to work, schedule-wise. And Tech 3 Yamaha rider Ben Spies is technically a rookie, so strictly speaking couldn’t ride for the factory team.

There must have been other options though, surely.

James Toseland – probably the most logical man to step back up to MotoGP, given that he rode for Tech 3 Yamaha last season, and is with Yamaha in World Superbikes this year – wasn’t asked.

What about someone like Moto2 rider Toni Elias? I’m sure he’s concentrating on winning that championship for Gresini, but couldn’t some agreement have been reached for him to show what he can do back up in the premier class?

But no, we have Yoshikawa. A prospect that’s not going to get anyone excited. Ho hum.