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Ducati returns home from Le Mans with two ‘zeros’ that have a significant bearing on the standings. Iannone is 10th, 65 points from Lorenzo, Dovizioso 11th at 67, the factory Ducati pair have taken only 4 points more than Aprilia in the first 5 GPs. Then today Iannone crashed on lap 7 and Dovizioso on lap 16.
It couldn't have gone any worse...but what were the reasons?
IANNONE'S VERSION. “I know you think I crashed because I was pushing too hard but this time it wasn't like that and the data proves it. I wasn't pushing during braking, unlike when I was following Dovizioso. I'd be interested to know what happened, because in practice I was more aggressive and had no problems".
It should also be noted however that the Italian set his best sector speeds on the lap in which he crashed, making up 4 tenths to Lorenzo. It's difficult to believe that he wasn't pushing.
“I was gaining on Jorge acceleration and through the turns - he maintains - I didn't expect the steering to lock, also because I was trying to save the tyres”.
So what was the cause?
“Perhaps we need better bike balance, it could be that the increased grip at the rear confused the front”, he says.
The other question is whether this result will impact on whether or not he stays at Ducati.
“Many think it's a contest between the two of us, and that we're agitated. I speak for myself: I'm only thinking about the championship and not about the future - he underlines - The only important thing is to be fast”.
DOVIZIOSO'S VERSION. “I entered that corner two degrees further over than usual, 47 instead of 45, not a lot but enough to crash. With this tyre it's like that, it takes just a little to exceed the limit and then you're on the ground. Both me and Marc were giving it our all to stick with Valentino and it happened”.
The Italian then goes on to analyse his race.
“I'm pleased with my strategy, i started strong but then I had to slow down - he explains - Now we have a good base, we're fast but we need too much energy to maintain it. We need to be aggressive, especially with the rear tyre, and this is a problem in terms of the race".
Dovi has an idea.
“It's only my opinion in the heat of the moment but I think that we need to start in a different way - he states - Until now we've focused on speed, now we need to think about constancy. If the same guys are always ahead of us, there must be a reason: they are able to ride fluidly, to be fast without always giving the max".
How do you do that?
“We need to improve certain characteristics of the bike, it's not a question of setup - he says - I don't want to talk about failure, the points are not so many but we've had three unlucky races. The important thing is to talk and understand if we have the same ideas”.
