English
Italiano
Phillip Island is behind him and in just two days at Sepang, Dovizioso is convinced that nothing is lost yet. Andrea is relaxed, looking at the hand he has been dealt before the race and he smiles. He is on the front row, whereas Marquez is 7th, his worst grid position of the season.
“I am in the perfect position, but the sensations I had in the saddle are much more important than that - he points out - I was fast in all the conditions. I never would have imagined that things would go this well.”
Have you put Australia behind you definitively?
“It was easy, a track where you feel at ease straight away. I’m relaxed and I feel good.”
Marquez said that he is the one with the most to lose.
“We certainly need to be happy with this season, no matter what the final result is, as I’ve already said. We improved the bike compared to last year, but more than anything, we worked well every weekend.”
But that does not mean that you are satisfied…
“I’m here to win and I will do everything I can to do just that down to the end. I want to take 25 points home tomorrow.”
Do you already have a strategy in mind?
“Analysing just the practice sessions, you can’t have an accurate idea of the competition. You understand everything only after the opening laps of the race. I’ll wait until then and then act accordingly. Today it was very hot and in these conditions it is almost impossible to give 100% from start to finish. Plus, strategy is always a consequence of your speed.”
Would a group race be the best option for you?
“Of course, especially if I am the fastest and I can put a few riders between me and Marc. It won’t be simple because there are a lot of riders with a similar pace – I’d say 4 or 5.”
No allies?
“I think everyone will be thinking about their own race. Pedrosa is always hard to decipher. Zarco is highly motivated after Phillip Island and he wants to kick some butt.”
Marquez, on the other hand, seems more tense…
“He has been ahead of everyone almost the entire season, so that is normal. Today is not the anomaly, but what he has done for the entire year. Did you see his save? Incredible, as usual.”
You sized one another up in FP3…
“We overtook one another 3 or 4 times. Nobody wanted to stay out front and show his hand. The consequence is that we lost the first part of the session (he laughs) these things happen.”
Do you have everything under control?
“I approached this weekend the perfect way and every change to the bike gave us an improvement. I turned a good lap in qualifying, but more than anything, I am able to maintain a good pace with used tyres. The goal was to be competitive both in the dry and in the wet and for now I have achieved that.”
Have you already decided on your tyres for the race?
“I would say that I am in good shape. I thought that the best option was the medium on the rear, but I also had good indications from the soft that I used in the afternoon. The decision will not be a problem.”
