It was a disappointed Andrea Dovizioso, to say the least, who returned to his Ducati box after the arrival of Czech Republic Grand Prix. It must be said that the leader of the reds in the title race has fallen from a height. During the previous two days, he constantly communicated his happiness with a promising GP17 in all conditions. Best time in the rain on Friday, in the dry on Saturday, Sunday could only go well. Except it was neither dry nor wet.
Mixed circumstances which drowned the Ducati team. Dovizioso left timidly while Lorenzo took the lead with conviction. Then it was time to change bikes. And the team wasn't ready. Lorenzo discovered it the hard way while Dovizioso had already missed the boat to win.
The result is a modest sixth place, far from the hopes and ambitions displayed: “ This is the third race this season that we have wasted too many points. My bike was set up in such a way that I couldn't stop beforehand. A lap or two earlier would have been a good time. But the mistake was already made with my choice of tires at the start. Finally, I was once again unable to read the track properly and therefore get the most out of the bike. ».
« Afterwards, I attacked as best I could during the remaining sixteen laps but the electronics were not ideally calibrated. This prevented me from passing Rossi and I had difficulty with the others. I could not do better. Today's lesson should teach us that each circuit is different and that we must therefore adapt our strategy each time ».
Next weekend, it's Austria, on a track where the GP16s shone last year. But it is not the prospect of this deadline that will excite the one who is now 21 points behind the big winner Marc Márquez : “ maybe we will be among the favorites, but without the advantages we had in 2016 ". However, Ducati has two new fairings to offer. But the blow was hard for Dovi…
#CzechGP MotoGP Race: Ranking compiled by our friends at crash.net
1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 44m 15.974s
2. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 44m 28.412s
3. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 44m 34.109s
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 44m 36.440s
5. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 44m 36.866s
6. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 39.233s
7. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 40.053s
8. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 44m 46.533s
9. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 44m 46.728s
10. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1)* 44m 49.210s
11. Alex Rins ESP Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* 44m 49.264s
12. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1)* 44m 50.569s
13. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar (Desmosedici GP15) 44m 50.671s
14. Jack Miller AUS EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 44m 54.036s
15. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 56.074s
16. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac (Desmosedici GP16) 45m 0.350s
17. Tito Rabat ESP EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 45m 1.428s
18. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 45m 9.950s
19. Andrea Iannone ITA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 45m 39.320s
20. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia (Desmosedici GP16) +1 lap
Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) DNF
Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia (Desmosedici GP15) DNF
Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar (Desmosedici GP16) DNF
