Everything started well in this Argentine Grand Prix for a Ducati factory which saw its rider Andrea Dovizioso at the top of the timesheet from the first free practice session.
Then things got a little worse, to the point that it was once again a senior Desmosedici from the 2016 opus which brought the best result of the day to the Borgo Panigale firm. In this case the Pramac driver, Scott Redding with a sixth position.
Fortunately, the subsistence minimum was provided by Dovizioso, tenth. A position which ensures for the moment a direct presence in Q.2.
Meanwhile, his teammate Iannone was in fifteenth place, behind Barberá and Laverty, and pursued by Baz and Hernandez.
Not sure that the fact of also finding himself in the company of Jorge Lorenzo consoled the one who wants to redeem himself from his fall in Qatar: “ It was definitely a difficult day for me. » comments the Italian. “ I'm really suffering and at the moment I have no confidence with the front of the bike. The track is really slippery and I can't attack as I would like or find a good rhythm. We are going to make changes for the future and I think I could progress then. You have to regain confidence and fix some things about the balance of the bike. I'm not too worried because I know I have the potential to do a good job here ».
As for Dovizioso, he would have preferred to stay at the top of the table rather than go down the ranking: “ during the afternoon, we did a lot of tests to find the right direction to follow to adapt to the conditions we encounter here. The track is really dirty and the front tire doesn't work. Everyone faces the same difficulties. There is no grip at the front which always wants to lie down while in long curves it is complicated to keep the throttle open. Either way, I don't think my current position reflects my true potential. However, I know that we still have a lot of work to do.L ". A work which risks being, moreover, disrupted by the rain forecast.
