Ducati made history today with a double podium at the NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Osterreich, but despite the success Andrea Dovizioso was disappointed.
You can’t blame him all honesty. Although his teammate Andrea Iannone topped a lot of the timesheets during the test before the summer break at the Red Bull Ring, and during the weekend in the build-up to the race, Dovizioso was always there.
Dovizioso topped the timesheets over the weekend
The Italian was fastest during Free Practice 2 and Free Practice 4, and managed to qualify third on the grid for the first Austrian GP after 19 years. He had claimed second initially behind his teammate but a last minute lap from Movistar Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi forced him to the back of the front row.
The Italian was always in contention of the win
Dovizioso was there at the front throughout the race. He did not drop to lower than fourth position and for a section of the race ahead of his teammate.
He had opted for the medium compound front and the hard option rear Michelin, and although he felt he was faster than Iannone he struggled for grip on the right hand side of the tyre (at the predominantly right handed track).
Dovizioso battled right up until the end until he had no choice but to settle for second after crossing the line just less than a second behind race winner Iannone.
It was Ducati first and second; they have waited so long for a victory and instead claimed the top two spots in the MotoGP after a difficult start to the year. The last person to win a grand prix on a Ducati was Casey Stoner who is now a test rider for the Italian team.
Disappointment for Dovizioso
The honest Italian spoke of his “disappointment” with the result at the Red Bull Ring. He was “very happy” with his bike and said the “feeling with the bike was amazing”, he also felt that he was better than Iannone when braking and so he thought he could beat him in the fight. In the end he said, “I didn’t have the grip like him on the right of the tyre”.
Iannone opted for the soft front and medium compound rear Michelin. Dovizioso decided to cautiously choose the medium and hard and then “struggled with the consumption of the rear tyre” and said, “Nobody worked the entire race apart from Iannone”.
Dovizioso reluctant to push at the front
Dovizioso mentioned how he was “in front for many laps” but said that he “didn’t push 100%” because like everybody else he had to “manage the rear tyre”. He felt he “did a good pace” when he led the race but “was reluctant to push” which is when Iannone regained the lead and set the rhythm.
The Italian felt that when he “tried to push him on” that he “didn’t have the same grip” on the right and so after taking “too many risks on the front” he realised he “couldn’t stay with him until the end”.
Proud of Italian team’s achievements
Dovizioso explained that after a race it is “normal to think about the negative things” so he can learn for the future, but then also looked for the positives. He knew that “first and second for Ducati” was a “really important result” and that he put in all of his passion to Ducati and hopes his race will come in the future.
He said, “Unfortunately I am not the winner” and so was struggling to be so happy about Ducati’s success. He admitted it has been tough, they have done a lot of work, they have a lot of fear and pressure on them to do well in the class. However he said, “Now we are closer and closer and have a victory.” He finished by saying, “We are really proud about the work that we did and really thank Ducati.”