This press conference held after the Thai Grand Prix brought together Marc Márquez (see here), Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Vinales.
As usual, we report here the raw words of Andrea Dovizioso, without the slightest journalistic interpretation.
Andrea Dovizioso : “It went a little better than we expected because, yes, the speed was there, with good grip. In this type of race, and on this type of track, consumption is very high and today it was even higher than in Aragon, and in the past we could not finish the race trying to make a podium or to fight for victory. So I think we have taken another big step forward, bigger than in Aragon. What we understood in Aragon worked here and that's one of the reasons why we fought until the last corner with Marc. Because we worked in a good way throughout the weekend and my feeling has improved since the set up. But we also worked on various other things and it was good for the tires. I was able to... struggle until the end (smile), but without being in a completely different situation from Marc's, unlike what happened in other races. So of course it's bad to lose the victory in the last corner, but the championship is almost over and we're not fighting for that anymore: we're fighting to try to get the best possible results and develop the bike for it. next year. So I'm very happy that there are 4 races left to continue working and try to improve a little bit, because we need that if we really want to fight for the championship next year.”
Your fight with Marc was splendid but we also saw after the race that there was also a lot of respect. Can you tell us more?
“Yes, it's not easy because we're on the limit and it's easy to make a mistake or be more aggressive than you need to be. But I've always tried to do that during my career, and it happened with Marc and also with most drivers because I'm not the type of driver who creates problems. Yes, I can be aggressive, but not too much. And it's good when the race is like that: a lot of overtaking but staying on the safe side (of the limit). So I’m happy… if it continues like this (laughs).”
You say that you encountered consumption problems. Can you explain to us?
“To try to improve that, you have to work on the settings, on the electronics, like everyone else. It's not easy to find something better and we're working on the details, and trying to figure it out. When you race with other drivers, you can get important feedback, and if you explain yourself in the right way to the engineers, that's the way to try to sort something out. It’s always very difficult but that’s what everyone does, and that’s what I think we do well.”
Do you think your fights are reaching the level of classics at the moment with Rainey and Schwantz. And in that case, who is Rainey and who is Schwantz?
“I agree with Mark. I think this also happens because our riding styles are completely different. But styles are one thing, and motorcycle features are another story. I mean the 2 things create these big differences. I think its style is in the same direction as the Honda: very agile and aggressive. He is able to do that and he is very good, the best, at handling that. But even though he has changed his style a lot during these years in MotoGP, his bike and his style continue to go in the same direction. My style is a little more relaxed, but you have to ride our bike that way: you can't ride the Ducati like him, just like I couldn't ride the Honda like I do. I think the 2 elements create this big difference, and the fight becomes good because his approach to braking and his trajectories are completely different from mine. We try to study and learn, I try to be better where he is better, and vice versa, but there remains a big difference in styles and in the characteristics of the bikes.
Of course, (I look more like) Rainey. Not Kevin (laughs).”
Did the fight in the last corner remind you of Austria last year?
“Unfortunately, I didn't use a perfect strategy because I didn't know Marc's positive and negative points, since I was always in front of him. When he overtook me in turn 5, I tried to fight back immediately because I thought I would have no chance of fighting back in the last corner. That's why I tried this. But it didn't work because I lost time in turn 6, and I realized in turn 10 that he was having problems with his tire. I did not know. I was able to get back a few meters, but not enough to get close enough to pass him on the final brake. So to say I used a bad strategy is a stretch, but that's what happened. If I hadn't tried at turn 5, I could have tried a different way in the last corner. With Marc, you never know how it will end (smiles) but I was too far away to do a really good braking and pass him. So I was too long. As soon as I started to brake, I immediately realized that it was impossible to stop. I was hoping that Marc would go wider with me, but he was able to brake his bike a little better than me.”
What did you like most about Thailand: the country, the people? And are there things to improve on the circuit in the coming years?
“The track is not the best in our championship but in the end it works well. It's good to see the support from the fans because, as Marc explained before, in Europe the fans should learn from the Thai fans. Because it's nice to see a fan who wears a T-shirt that can be red, yellow or any color, supporting everyone and not complaining about some people. I think this is the most important thing, and that the Europeans have forgotten.”
All weekend we talked about the tires and the high temperature. How much did you have to manage the tires during the race?
“We definitely had to save the tire a lot with the electronics and with the driving style. And at the end, we finished the tire. We fought for the last 5 laps but without any grip. But we know that’s how it is.”
You already finished second and your attitude was completely different from today. Today it looks like you won the race. Why that ?
“It’s easy and I’ve already explained it. There is always a technical reason to explain the result and what we are doing. When we arrived here, everyone and the media said it was a track like in Austria. I think those who said that don't know much about the circuits and I haven't seen many Ducatis up front. I think we are working very well and making a lot of progress, and this is confirmed as we are fighting for victory. But I think we are doing something special with our group because we are working on the small details and that affects the races a lot since from Brno until now we have been fighting for victory in every round. It is reality. And when you are on a track where consumption is very high, in the past we could not fight for the podium. Now we're putting Marc in a difficult situation, so I think the step forward is huge. This is the reality, the way I see it happening. If someone else sees it differently, that’s not my problem.”
MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix Race standings:
Photo credits and classification: MotoGP.com
