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Andrea Dovizioso started off this weekend at Brno having to play catch-up. He is some way down in the combined Friday timesheet in 15th place; he’s playing catch-up in a world championship without Marc Marquez, the only one who in the last three years has been between him and the title and he is also playing catch-up with "his" Ducati, both for contractual and technical reasons. The Borgo Panigale bike in recent seasons has always seemed to be the flagship bike of the championship while this year it seems to be a little bit down on its competitors. What are the reasons for this?
“Evaluating a bike is always difficult - Dovi told us at the end of FP2 - and now it's still too early because we have only raced on one track, Jerez, with unpredictable temperatures and now we are in Brno where conditions are really complicated. The new tyre is certainly conditioning us and it is not yet clear how to ride to make it work at its best. I don't want to point the finger at Michelin because the change is the same for everyone, but in the last 2 years here in Brno at the exit I was accelerating very hard after having stood up the bike, now I feel like I don't have the exit under control. "
What is it about this new tyre that causes problems for the Ducati?
“The new Michelins have a softer construction than the previous ones, so they react very quickly. This is the reason for the 'pumping' that you can see. The Ducati requires the bike to slide from the start of braking to the middle and now we can't do it. To change you need to make modifications in three sectors: the set-up, the electronics and the style of the rider when braking and they are not things that come immediately. "
Dovi, we know that the renewal of the contract with Ducati is still at stalemate. What's your morale right now?
“My morale at the moment is not low, I am experiencing new and unusual situations, I have experience and I have learned to give importance to only what I want. Not to everything because you can't get everyone in life to agree and as I don’t have this intention, I try to focus on what's best for me. Everything affects us because we are human but I try to give importance only to what is important and complaining is futile".
At Jerez you told us that Pecco Bagnaia was able to brake better than you. By analysing the data, were you able to understand something more?
“I have my own idea about this. In 2019 he braked in a way that did not give him any real benefit in the race, his braking was not correct for last year's tyres, while for this 2020 he had to change his riding style less than all the others. These tyres require a different way of riding because they have more grip and the bike tries to stay upright. "
How was your day today?
“It wasn't bad, I am braking harder than in Jerez and I can be more aggressive. I am worried about tyre wear, nothing like this has never happened, I don't know if it is the fault of the asphalt which is 12 years old or the tyre itself, but there is really a lot of degradation. On this track when you are in traction you have a great angle because there are long corners and, in the race, it will be difficult to manage ”.
How much does this tyre change affect your work schedule during a weekend?
“The work is different than usual. Now we have to adapt to the tyre and no longer choose the best for the race. The pumping of the motorbikes is incredible and all these movements cannot be managed in a linear way by the electronics ".
