Upon arriving in Europe, Ducati proclaimed to anyone who would listen that the time for the offensive against Marc Marquez was coming. The GP19 would show great potential to muzzle the new Honda. Result ? Arriving in Italy, Andrea Dovizioso was eight points behind the defending champion, then twelve when approaching Catalonia and here he is 37 points behind heading towards Assen…
Suffice to say that things did not exactly go as hoped for the Red Army. And the two routes which arrive before the summer break are not ideal for the Desmosedici. We will recall, for example, that in Germany, Marc Marquez has been stringing together victories like other pearls since he was in MotoGP. But it is true that he was doing the same in Austin before his fall this year.
It is precisely in the light of this twist thatAndrea Dovizioso always has hope anchored in his body… “ Anything can happen in our sport. We are strong and we work very hard » declared the teammate Danilo Petrucci. But he is also realistic: “ Marc Márquez is competitive in all conditions, it is not easy to take a lot of points from him. But it is not impossible ».
« The next two races are not the best for us, but this season I feel better on most tracks. I think we can also be competitive in Assen » commented Dovi. “ It's a strange championship, there are a lot of fast drivers and that can shake things up. If you look at the practice sessions, Rins or Quartararo could have a big lead. In the end, Marc won and we weren't finished. Everything can happen » declared the two-time MotoGP world vice-champion.
« For our part, we have a lot of experience in race management. We are always here to fight for the podium and the victory. We work in our own way during the practice sessions »added the official Ducati of 33 years.
After seven Grands Prix contested, Andrea Dovizioso only counts one victory, like Kidneys and his teammate Petrucci. The rest of the events were won by Marc Márquez. The next round at Assen will be the eighth of 19 meetings on the calendar.
