Before definitively turning the page on Qatar to concentrate fully on the Argentine Grand Prix, we could not not share with you the post written by Marco Lucchinelli for Motorsprint.
In our opinion, it sums up everything perfectly, and there is really nothing to take away or add to the words of the 500 1981c world champion!
Well done Mr Lucchinelli!
“Okay guys, let me show off a little: I scored 10 points in our TV8 challenge. The maximum. I got all 3 of them, those who got on the podium, and everyone in the right place. Rossi 3rd too, I felt it because in qualifying Valentino has never been a Martian even when he walks hard, but at race pace, he can run for an entire season. When he's not flying during a timed lap, he's there. It's a racing beast.
Marc Márquez took 2nd place because on this track the Honda is not the best, so much so that he has only won 3 times. But we have clearly seen that there is no longer the difference of the past, between the Ducati and the Honda, which has improved a lot. And that scares me a little because if on a track that doesn't really suit the Honda and him, Márquez is 2nd... we can imagine what will happen when he finds the favorable tracks again.
Andrea Dovizioso was a machine: he started badly, but he didn't panic, slowly he advanced, until he reached Márquez and Johann Zarco. And he was lurking there, waiting. They weren't going fast, otherwise Maverick Vinales wouldn't have been able to catch up so far away, and Alex Rins' Suzuki wouldn't have stayed where it was.
But as soon as Andrea changed pace, with 5 laps to go, things changed. And it was he who made them change. Dovizioso decided to try to leave because, knowing Márquez, he knows that as long as there is a curve you can find him inside. He expected him to do it again. Márquez prepared him better than in Austria and Japan, and almost succeeded in deceiving him, but Dovi was just as prepared, he was waiting for the attack, and by cutting the curb, he created space for himself to pass.
Dovizioso has changed exponentially since he started working with the Ducati, he is one of the few who works on the bike with a method, and is also the only rider who has beaten Márquez 3 times in close combat. Something no one has ever achieved.
Marquez has an advantage over Andrea, he doesn't like finishing 2nd, instead of the Ducati which, last year, lost too many points when it struggled. We must prevent this from happening again.
Let me say something about the whistles against Márquez, they were not spectators from Qatar, but Italians in Qatar: well, these gentlemen should be ashamed; period. Someone who runs a race doesn't get whistled. And then, more than 2 years have passed since the story with Rossi: now enough! Márquez is like salt, the salt of life. He gave value to Rossi, he gave value to Dovizioso. Without him, everything would be flat. If there are 2 things I remember from last year, it's those 2 incredible passes that Dovizioso was able to block. So you know what's beautiful? Dovi, 3 times, stayed in front without arguing. And when you know how good he is, Márquez gives more credit to those in front of him.
Last thing: Jorge Lorenzo. I said a year ago that he couldn't afford these results and I thought I was a bit bad. But I was not mistaken. Ducati is not Yamaha, but I have seen people ride on it and go hard: if Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller go hard, since he is Lorenzo and we know how many good things he has done in the past, we we must look to the future. Ducati must renew contracts and Dovizioso must be treated well. Alright. He is now the one who deserves the number one salary. »
