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MotoGP, Dovizioso: I'm ahead but Marquez is the fastest

"A crash can't undermine him. My plan? To ride more smoothly but I am at ease. I'm off to a good start"

MotoGP: Dovizioso: I'm ahead but Marquez is the fastest

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At the end of the first day, Dovizioso is ahead of Marquez in the standings, but Andrea knows that it is still not true glory. As the Italian often says, the time sheets don’t tell the whole story after free practice and you need to know how to interpret them today too. The Italian is therefore pleased, but not yet satisfied with his speed.

I’m off to a good start, but on the other hand, my sensations in the saddle are not ideal and I am aware that it is still not enough” Dovi explains.

What is the problem?
Marquez and Pedrosa have a better pace; they are faster, so we need to figure out what to work on in order to make my ride smoother.

But Marc crashed again today…
If the championship were to be decided by the least number of crashes, I would have won by a mile (he laughs). Sure, that means that Marquez is at the limit, but when has he not been? I don’t think that a crash can undermine him.

What conclusions can be drawn from the first two sessions?
It’s the same old story. On Friday you make race predictions but things change. Tomorrow we will practice in the dry. There is still a lot to do. Right now, the Hondas ridden by Marquez and Pedrosa have a certain number of tenths of advantage on pace. Lorenzo and I are not the fastest.

In any case, did things go better than expected on a tough track?
“If I look at my position, yes, but I still cannot be 100% happy. I know that we are still lacking certain things.

Which things?
I am still not able to be as fast as I’d like to be in mid-corner and coming out of the turns tightly, bringing the bike back up quickly. I need to make my ride smoother and simpler. This is a particular track. The turns all have a similar radius and an improvement has an effect on the whole lap.”

Do you have a clear idea about the tyres?
In the morning I started with the medium on the rear and then switched to the soft. I used that on, already used, in the afternoon too and I had good feelings. It seems to hold up. I did my best time on the last lap.

Are you still at ease?
Of course. As I already said, I am not taking on this race just thinking about the result on Sunday, but looking at the entire season and we exceeded all expectations. I am more at ease than many others (he laughs).”

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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