Don’t put too much stock in the standings, because it could be deceiving. We are talking about Andrea Dovizioso, who is in ninth place at the end of Friday, a half a second behind the time done by Marquez. The Ducati rider prefers to focus on all the upgrades brought by the manufacturer from Borgo Panigale.
“There are different work methods – the Italian rider began – There are those who prefer looking for the best times at all costs and those who don’t. Right now, continuing with comparisons is fundamental because then the choices made will be important.”
In the Borgo Panigale garage, there is no lack of upgrades.
“With everything we have tried, we are fast – number four ensures – even if it isn’t easy to tell our rivals’ potential since some worked with hard tyres and others didn’t. Also, the tyres we are working on will be different than those in October – he added – As I said, these times count as much as the ones in Malaysia. There are many variables and it isn’t easy to see the truth.”
Dovi draws the sums of Saturday.
“I am happy about the speed demonstrated today – the Italian said – but we need to work on the chassis and the fairing, well aware that tomorrow will be an important day. On the frame, I can say that it is very similar to the previous one. The Qatar test will definitely be important to see the differences compared to Buriram.”
And on the aerodynamics.
“Making a lot of comparisons is not that easy to tell which fairings to use – he concluded – I think that the team’s important job is to figure out the potential of each, because the differences are minimal.
There was a step forward on this second day by Jorge Lorenzo as well, with the tenth best time just behind his teammate.
“It was a positive Saturday – number 99 began – Unfortunately, I had some problems in the morning with the frame on the first bike. In fact, I was about a second slower and I didn’t feel good, so there was something wrong. At the same time, Marc was able to show that he is fast, building up a big gap ahead of me.”
The script was then rewritten, particularly in terms of the aerodynamics.
“Fortunately, in the afternoon the situation changed – he continued – There are a few positive points and some negative ones that we need to understand. This is our first time working with this fairing – he revealed – I found numerous benefits. In fact, there is great aerodynamic load on the front. It feels like you’re in a Formula 1 car.”
Work on the frame, on the other hand, has been postponed.
“Only Dovizioso tried it. I will probably use it tomorrow, since I didn’t have much time.”