For a bit, it would almost be the world turned upside down at Ducati. Whereas, since the start of the season we were used to seeing a Dovizioso leading the official troop with a Jorge Lorenzo in difficulty, the qualifying at Jerez delivered exactly the opposite verdict. The new recruit did better aboard the red GP17 by positioning himself eighth while on the DesmoDovi side we knew the disappointment of elimination from Q.1. Fourteenth, the Italian did not make excuses but did not hide his concerns.
Concerns which could prove prohibitive for the Sunday race. Because the official Ducatis suffer like the Yamahas from the left side of the asymmetrical Michelin tire, but worse. And then the pronounced slippage calls into question the fuel consumption which will also have to be looked at.
That said, on his performance, Dovizioso remained circumspect: “ I am of course disappointed with my final position, but this situation is strange because although I am actually behind, I have good feelings on the bike. During FP4, we progressed and my pace was quite good. On worn tires, I was able to lap in 1'40.3. So I was happyyou”.
But the joy was short-lived: “ during Q.1 I was never able to do a correct and clear turn. But I'm not looking for excuses. I'm just annoyed. My pace in race conditions is not bad. I'm just two tenths behind Jorge who had a good weekend ».
« We can't change anything that happened. Here, the short straights don't allow us to exploit our strengths. Starting fourteenth won't make things easier because overtaking is complicated here. The curves are slow and tight and you can lose a lot of time during the first few laps. You also have to be carefulyou”.
It will be all the more complicated as the GP17 is not the absolute weapon… “ We are in the same situation as last year. We cannot take advantage of the new tires. They wear out quickly and you can't get the bike into turns. But it's not just about grip. The tires grip better but when the grip fades, the difference is more brutal in terms of performance. This is a concern and will be key for the 27 laps of the race. We're pretty concerned, that's for sure. ».
It will be recalled that Ducati's only victory at Jerez can be attributed to Loris Capirossi in 2006, who started from pole position. Since the Italian brand has only been on the podium once, it was in 2011 with Nicky Nayden.
#SpanishGP J.2: MotoGP Chronos
1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V)
1m 38.249s [Lap 6/7] 291km/h (Top Speed)
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 38.298s +0.049s [8/8] 291km/h
3. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 38.453s +0.204s [6/7] 291km/h
4. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 38.677s +0.428s [3/7] 292km/h
5. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)
1m 38.744s +0.495s [3/8] 291km/h
6. Johann zarco ENG Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)*
1m 38.861s +0.612s [6/8] 291km/h
7. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 38.908s +0.659s [6/7] 290km/h
8. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17)
1m 38.910s +0.661s [6/8] 293km/h
9. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)*
1m 39.108s +0.859s [8/8] 291km/h
10. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 39.125s +0.876s [3/8] 290km/h
11. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.152s +0.903s [5/8] 292km/h
12. Alex Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 39.400s +1.151s [2/5] 288km/h
13. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 39.090s 290km/h
14.
Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17)
1m 39.255s 294km/h
15. Espargaro Pol ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 39.282s 294km/h
16. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 39.321s 291km/h
17. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.462s 291km/h
18. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 39.564s 292km/h
19. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 39.678s 294km/h
20. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 39.824s 287km/h
21. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.906s 293km/h
22. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)*
1m 40.213s 287km/h
23. Takuya Tsuda JPN Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)
1m 40.386s 287km/h
