The Ducati rider did not manage to achieve a double but nevertheless completely stuck to Fabio Quartararo in the championship following the latter's complicated Grand Prix.
This was to be feared given his overall performance this weekend and his place in qualifying: Andrea Dovizioso was unable to win again at the Red Bull Ring after his victory last weekend. If he had been optimistic on Friday, he finally revised his position on Saturday given the performance of his opponents. Aware that victory would be complicated, he still hoped to achieve it but ultimately finished fifth.
Eighth at the first start, he gained a few places before finally regaining his initial position when the race was stopped with the red flag following the fall of Maverick Viñales. Starting eighth, he managed to set a better pace and got closer to the front.
Fourth at the start of the last lap, he almost lost the lead by trying to get closer to the leading trio and finally gave up a position in favor of Joan Mir. If he does not finish on the podium, he has closed his gap on Fabio Quartararo in the championship and is only three points behind.
“Unfortunately today didn’t go as I hoped.”, he explained. “During the first race I had problems with my tires and I didn't have the right feeling to drive correctly. Fortunately, with the second start we were able to make a different choice of tires and that allowed me to find the sensations I was used to. Despite that I wasn't fast enough out of the corner during the second race and that prevented me from getting back up. »
“We will have to work hard to progress on this aspect in order to be more competitive on the other tracks. With today's fifth place we are now very close to the lead in the championship and now we must continue to be consistent and take a step forward in the next Grands Prix. »
MotoGP Austria 2 J3: classification
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
