At the Silverstone GP, the former American World Champion was impressed by the way Marc Marquez behaved after his crash during practice. He also appreciated the good progress this year from Andrea Dovizioso.
« Marc Márquez looked like he was the favorite until he crashed in practice. He fell into one of the esses while turning to the left and you could see from the on-board camera that he was just maintaining his speed, and as soon as he banked, he did a high side. I know what it looks like. He was on the hard tire because on Sunday it looked like the temperature was going to rise and that might be the tire he would have to choose for the race.
“He fell, was not injured and returned to his stand where he took the second bike, put on a Michelin more tender and left. It didn't take him long to regain his speed. In fact, on his third lap, he set the fastest time of the weekend up to that point.
“What he did after that was something that I think was very important. He still needed to see where the hard tire stood in terms of performance, so he put the same tire he came across with on the number two bike and took off again. If you look at his time, he took a little while to get back up to speed, but after four or five laps he was going as fast as he had the whole session and he felt good. He's been very lucky, but if you look at Marc over the years, he's had a few crashes and doesn't get hurt, normally. It always seems to work in his favor. »
The positive evolution of Andrea Dovizioso
“What's very impressive is that there were seven years between his first victory and his second, and then seven months before the next one. This year already he has four first places. It's not just the fact that he wins races but the way he does it. He's not the fastest driver, except when he has to be. He has excellent race management, great wisdom in the choices he makes and he shows that the Ducati can be effective on many different circuits.
“I think there are a lot of reasons why his performance is improving. With Jorge Lorenzo coming into the team, I think it took some of the pressure off Dovi. He didn't expect to be the fastest guy, but he's using all the experience he has with the development of the Ducati and his mindset has improved. You can't emphasize this enough. His perspective on life has changed and it not only benefits his own personal life, but also has benefits on the track. »
Photos © Ducati
Source: motorsportmagazine.com
