The official Ducati riders may be Italian, but they are cold-blooded!
Already struggling with the development of their brand new D16GP, they had to mentally resist the performances of Casey Stoner as well as the attacks of the "old" GP15 and GP14.2 who gave it their all after the turnaround of the Michelin tires this winter.
But the two Andreas worked well, under the leadership of the phlegmatic Gigi Dall'Igna, and seem able to repeat at least one of their two podiums from last year, thanks in part to their overpowering engine which can fully express on this very fast route.
Andrea Iannone: “I had a great race last year, and I got a fantastic first podium in MotoGP, so those are good memories for me. With the rule change, I think we will see a good fight at the front this year, since all the drivers are closer, but we can also be competitive and we will do our best to get on the podium again. The last test in Qatar was the best I did, because, day after day, I was able to improve my sensations on the bike and on the Michelin tires. We have worked well, but we are only at the beginning, with the new bike, and we still have a lot of potential. »
Andrea Dovizioso: “It’s really good to start the season here in Qatar. Losail is a circuit where MotoGP riders can take advantage of the power they have, as it is a very fast track and offers a wide range of corners. It's really different at night, when the temperature is perfect for running. We can be optimistic because we have worked well to have a rhythm during these nine days of testing, and we have made a lot of progress in terms of the feeling we have with the new Desmosedici GP. I'm pretty confident about the start of the season, but I know we'll have to be quick to adapt to the Michelin tires over the weekend. It will be important to approach the weekend and all the new aspects in the best possible way, but I am confident for the race. »
