Bradley Smith is present and re𒁏ady for this weekend's🎃 Aragon MotoGP round, but the slim possibility remains that he could yet be replaced before tomorrow morning's opening practice session.

That's because Andrea Iannone's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, against his doping♛ ban, took place today.

In the u🌺nlikely event that the CAS was to issue a decision this evening, in Iannone's favour, the꧋ Italian could theoretically be back on an RS-GP in time for FP1, which would be his first track appearance since November.

However, most 🎀expect it will take a week for the court to issue its verdict.

Even then, the outcome ranges from a full annulment of the current 18-month ban (which Iannone is seeking on the basis of acci♚dental ingestion of the prohibited steroid drostanolone through contaminated meat) through to an extended four-year b꧑an, which WADA is pushing for.

"I don’t know if I’m riding tomorrow," Smith s🤪aid on Thursday at Aragon. "I haven’t heard anything 🔥from wherever it is they’re having [the CAS] meeting.

"If s🐼omething went in favour of Andrea and it got wrapped up today, he could be here tomorrow morning and ready to go.

"The likelihood of that happening is smal♓l. But next weekend isn’t a given [for me riding].

"I’ll prepare myself to be ready𝔉 for tomorrow. Next week it could all change and I might be𝓀 going home early. We’ll wait and see what happens."

Explaining that the ongoingﷺ uncertainly is not helping anyone, Smi🅘th hopes that whatever the outcome, it will at least allow Aprilia to make solid plans for the future.

"Regarding the Andrea situation, yeah of course it plays on my mind. B♌ut more than anything it plays on the team’s mind," Smith said.

"Knowing what’s going to happen going forwar♎d is what the project really needs -🌌 to have that stability and that focus again, in terms of knowing what 2021 could look like and how it's going to look like.

"Conversations [at the moment] are always 'if this' or 'if that' and 'maybe'.🌄 Once we have the situation clear, there's no ifs and maybes. And ifs and maybes in elite sport is a nightmare.

"Confidence in everything is an important thing. I think we’re lacking that inside our team because of these circumstances. I certainly hope we’re able to clarify this, maybe today, or in the neಞxt week I hear is the deadline.

"If we can start making plans towards the future and how Aprilia is going to look, I think everyone will up their game m💧ore inside the team and get some stability again and a vision to the future."

Smith 'next option' after the two Andreas

As far as his own future, Smith made clear that - rather than being content to automatic꧂ally slot back into th🥀e test and wild-card role - he's fighting to stay in contention for the race seat in 2021.

"It completely depends on the circumstances. Right 𒊎now, I have no interest in being a test rider, I have interest in being a full-time rider," said Smith, a MotoGP podium finisher for Tech3 Yamaha before spending two seasons at the factory൩ KTM team.

"I’ve adapted as much as I can to the bike this year and I’m up against a guy [team-mate Aleix Espargaro] who⭕ has been riding the bike for the last four years and I’m 0.2 away.

"I'll take that and I fee🤡l things can get better, considering I’m still a test rider inside the team, developing during race weekends and I've been able to match Aleix at times.

"My vision is to be here as a full-time ride🐲r. It’s something that Aprilia are definitely openminded too."

Smith feels he's currently the 'next option' on Aprilia's list behind Ian✨none and departing Ducati title contender Andrea ♔Dovizioso, which would put him ahead of countryman Cal Crutchlow.

"Right now, I think the two Andreas are of course the♏ focus and the main priorities. But should t꧙hat not be case, I’m right there as the next option," Smith said.

"So continu🎉ity is something we need inside this team. We’ve seen it works in other manufacturers and it's something Aprilia understand. So let’s see in next week or so what can happen and go from there."

'I end up flying'

Assuming he's on track tomorrow, Smith - ওwho put Aprilia top of the timesheets in wet opening practice at Le Mans last week - will be riding🦋 with strapping on both ankles after ligament damage from his race highside.

That highside, like his Friday afternoon fall, was due to a 'blind꧙ spot' in the Aprilia's traction control electronics.

"Our [traction control] strategy where it doesn’t understand if I’m at risk at crashing or not if there are patchy conditions like Friday🦹 afternoon or wet and changing conditions during the race," Smith ꦅsaid.

"At the moment we have to set [the traction control] at a halfway level to make it average out. But [by d💮oing that] it can work too much or too little. Mine normally ends up working too little and I end up flying.

"It seems to be the initial touch [ဣof the throttle] at maximum [lean] angle.

"We have to fix that strategy issue going forward but you can’t replicate those so-s🌄o [mixed] and wet conditions and we don’t have a lot of experience, especially with the new bike and new engine.

"The guys needed more data. I ꦅcan’t put all the blame on the guys upstairs. But basically my two crashes on Friday afternoon and in the race were ele🍰ctronics-related and I can’t really take responsibility for those."