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MotoGP, Dovizioso: "Being your best against Marquez isn't enough."

"He throws everyone off, but we can't say it's over yet. We still tests on Monday, useful to gain more confidence."

MotoGP: Dovizioso: "Being your best against Marquez isn't enough."

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Andrea Dovizioso won the GP of human riders in Brno. That's what comes to mind if we look at  Marc Marquez's  overwhelming abilities. The Ducati rider could not help but be happy when faced with the superiority of the Spanish rider, who seems ever more directed towards his eighth world title.

"I gave it my all from the beginning ," Andrea began. "I started out good, trying to manage my pace. Marc had the soft tire mounted and was able to keep a great pace, while I had some problems with left corners. I tried to stay glued to him, but he was stronger than me in braking, so I wasn't able to do anything else other than bring home a second place."

Being behind Marc, what did you notice about his Honda?

“Compared to 2018, it's more competitive on the straights, while we still lack a little something. It's too bad because Marc was at his limit today. He was about to fall at times, but I can only congratulate him on what he has demonstrated. The fact is that we're experiencing a different season this year than last year. Honestly, I don't know how competitive Honda is compared to a year ago. It is definitely strong in braking in the race, while I struggle to enter."

So what's your consideration after this weekend?

"Unfortunately, doing my best isn't enough," Andrea admitted. "This year Marc and Honda are stronger ,and they're throwing everyone off. He's able to manage his pace while racing and getting up front, and he can do what he wants with his speed. Like I said, it throws everyone off, so we have to work and assess things. We can't say that it's over, given that we have tests, and we have to be calm and collected."

So you're waiting for the Austrian GP.

"Last year he got in front of me," he recalled. "Going up against him won't be easy. The Ducati works well in Austria, but we'll need to figure out the details. I'm aware that he has always managed to find solutions to be competitive on every track."

What are you doing to start over after Brno?

"Right now, he's stronger than last year, so we have to find the speed. The point gap in the Championship doesn't count for much because he's competitive in every condition. We'll try to improve in the tests on Monday. It's going to be a very important day because it can give us extra confidence to fight against Marc. We have material to test and see how useful it is. I'm hoping for a dry day to work at my best."

However, after Brno, the gap in the Championship for the rider from Forlì increased even more.

"The goal of the season was to fight for the Championship, although we're really far now. But it's also true that, at the moment, we're the only ones trying to go up against him, even if he's strong on every track. Apart from that, we can't forget the positive aspects of our bike."

The Czech Republic was the first race after the break, but Dovi managed to turn over a new leaf.

"The last few races didn't go as they should have, and it was frustrating not being competitive. So we used the three-week break to reverse a negative trend. I'm happy for this weekend, since everything went the right way."

One last thing. There is a slight comparison between Spain and Italy when it comes to young riders.

"I think the Spanish riders are going strong, and they're working well in the minor championships," Andrea said. "In my opinion, there was a big gap after my generation, but we still have some promising Italian riders in Moto2 and Moto3. Everything depends on how you manage a rider because you can have a talent, but if you don't properly manage both his private life and his training, this quality doesn't count for much."

The last comment is about Morbidelli and Bagnaia.

"It's true that they're struggling but, with the talent they've shown, they need some time. Also, they can count on a good support team."

Audio recorded by Matteo Aglio

Translated by Leila Myftija
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