How on earth did Andrea Dovizioso get his first podium of the year at Jerez after struggling with the bike throughout pre-season and breaking his collarbone in Motocross 3 weeks prior?
Well, that's not a simple answer. There are several reasons for this: the bike, the new Michelin rear tire and a massive dose of determination from the Ducati rider.
Andrea Dovizioso's biggest problem was the new Michelin rear tire. This tire has a different structure and this creates problems for the Ducati, not only when cornering but also when braking. Let's see how Dovizioso turned one of his toughest weekends into, arguably, one of the most impressive performances of his career.
Jerez is not a Ducati track and in 2020 it looked like it was going to be even less so. Ducati's problems began when Michelin released its new 2020 rear tire during pre-season testing. Immediately, the Ducati riders had difficulty adapting to it.
Their biggest worry was getting the GP20 running. The new tire makes it more difficult for Ducati to maintain a consistent drift, which they need to do to get their machine to turn the way they want. Last year's tire was more controllable for Ducati in this regard. The sliding was more consistent and this allowed them to turn the bike with the rear rather than the front.
As we know, the Ducati is not the best bike for cornering. Its V4 engine and long chassis make it one of the most difficult MotoGP prototypes to turn and at Jerez there are a lot of corners in quick succession meaning you need a bike that is very agile and easy to rotate.
Ducati's problems didn't end there. Another problem created by the rear tire is that it changes the way the bike behaves on the brakes. The new structure does not allow the rear of the bike to relieve itself as much as with last year's tire. For most manufacturers, that's not what they want, but for Ducati, that's exactly what they want.
When the rear lifts off slightly, it takes some pressure off the front, allowing riders to brake a little harder and have a stronger front feel. It also starts to steer the bike towards the apex, allowing you to start turning before you even get into the turn.
With the new tire, the rear stays much more in line with the front and Dovizioso and Petrucci said it pushed the bike straight up, making it difficult to reach the apex in time.
Petrucci particularly suffered from this and really struggled to find a solution all weekend. Dovizioso, on the other hand, said they found something during the Warm-Up that helped his feeling with the front
So far, all we've done is explain two of the big problems Ducati was having at Jerez. So how did they manage to end up on the podium?
Well, part of that is the step forward Andrea Dovizioso made during the Wam-Up. Throughout the weekend, both Ducati riders said they didn't have the confidence to push up front. Taking a step forward on Sunday morning allowed Dovi to feel a little more comfortable in the race.
But the main thing was Dovizioso's incredible ability to maintain a pace throughout the race. While many drivers set times in the 38s early in the race, then slowly dropped into the 39s and even 40s, Dovizioso managed to maintain consistent laps in the 39s throughout the race, with his lap times well within less than 3 tenths from each other. Once again, it was Dovizioso's incredible ability to stay calm and stick to a plan that earned him an improbable podium finish on a track he has never been at the top of.
The professor has never been more impressive. The second race was more difficult for him and his team, the heat not having helped…
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