MotoGP, San Marino GP, Misano, J3: Andrea Dovizioso victim of Ducati's poor form

We were logically expecting a good performance from the Desmosedici at Misano, with the lap record belonging to Andrea Dovizioso and the absolute track record belonging to Jorge Lorenzo, these two performances having been established last year on a Ducati.

During preliminary tests at the end of August, the situation did not seem worrying, with Danilo Petrucci second and Jack Miller fifth. The in-house test pilot Michele Pirro carried out numerous tests on this circuit, so everything was looking good.

The first warning came during FP1 on Friday morning, when Petrucci placed eighth at 0.996 and “Desmo Dovi” eleventh at 1.121. We had already seen better as a start. In the afternoon, on a warmer track – therefore closer to the future real conditions of the race – there was a repeat with Petrucci seventh at 0.953 and Dovizioso eighth at 1.051. This gap close to a second was cause for concern, even the winner of the 2018 edition.

Andrea Dovizioso's victory last year:

FP3 was no better with Andrea tenth at 1.259. There was definitely cause for concern, even if FP4 in race conditions was a little better with Dovi eighth at 0.670. In these circumstances, the qualification was rather good with the sixth time at 0.773.

It was only during the warmup that hope returned with third place at 0.252. But it was only an illusion because, as the team manager, Davide Tardozzi, explained, there were worn tires for Marc Márquez, Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo, but new tires for the Ducati. Tardozzi estimated their handicap in the race at around 0.3 to 0.4 per lap. For Davide Tardozzi “Sector 3 is a big problem for us, because we seem to have no grip in the fast corners, which creates problems for all the Ducati riders. This morning it seems to be a little better, I don't know if it's because the temperatures are a little lower or what. But for sure, we will fight in the race. »

Departure :

In the first round, Dovizioso was in eighth position, then we found him sixth in the tenth lap at 7.266, closely followed by Pol Espargaró and Álex Rins. He finished sixth at 13.744, 1 second behind Valentino Rossi and Franco Morbidelli. In the Championship, he saw Márquez fly away with 275 points against 182 for himself.

According to Andrea Dovizioso, “I tried until the end. After passing Espargaró I thought I could go after Rossi and Morbidelli but they were leaving. I was in good shape today, I had a lot of intensity but I didn't ride very well. »

“In the last laps, I got closer because Valentino almost fell. But I did a good job during the weekend, because the gap at the start was huge, it was already evident during testing. I didn't expect to do better today in the race, I could have finished in fourth place at best, but we were all in crisis, we couldn't risk overtaking. »

Clear problems from the start, therefore, especially when it comes to grip in the fastest corners. Did you have to drive while avoiding this aspect?

“Avoid no, because it's impossible, let's say I tried to control it, to try to be as gentle as possible. This weekend's asphalt demanded a type of riding that is not usually within the ropes of this bike. I worked a lot on my bike, lap after lap, also looking at the data from the other Ducati riders. This work paid off very well. With last year's asphalt I would have been competitive but I don't know if I could have won. Today I struggled a lot with the front and the grip problems showed in the many crashes. »

Ducati seems to be a little behind in development, right?

“I wouldn't say that, at Borgo Panigale Panigale they work a lot but it's not easy to bring in new pieces to improve further. It seems like Suzuki has improved a lot, but that's because there was a void to fill. The evolution is now pushed to the maximum. »

At the end of the season, are you going to try new things for 2020?

“I hope so, I have no problem doing this kind of work and I would be happy to have something new since at the moment we are looking at who we have behind us in the ranking, not who we have in front of us, Marquez now I don't even see him anymore. There is no point thinking about closing the gap with Marc if you come in behind in every race. »

Petrucci's tenth place today is the natural conclusion to a weekend full of difficulties for your teammate. What should Danilo do?

“Everyone has their own way of driving. Danilo is in difficulty because this weekend he found himself on tracks where his driving style does not work. Now he has to try to adapt as much as possible, he needs experience to do that. »

Next stop in Aragón and already in 5 days you will be on track for free practice. What are your expectations ?

“Last year I played until the end. This year the opponents have improved and are more competitive. Each race changes favorites. At Silverstone, for example, I started very badly, but I always improved and I would have had the opportunity to fight for victory. Each weekend has its own story and work can change the cards on the table. Grip and temperatures really change everything. »

Grand Prix results:

 

Provisional ranking of the World Championship:

Photos © Ducati