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It was another Sunday to be forgotten for the official Ducati team, which lost Petrucci after a few meters and it didn't even have Dovizioso to save Sunday this time. Ducati was able to celebrate on the podium thanks to Miller with the Desmosedici and the Pramac colors and because of a new-found Bagnaia, who's riding last year's bike.
Andrea tried to see the glass half full, but it's not as simple this time.
"Having had the chance to get on the podium is positive," he explained. "I could have done it if I hadn't made a mistake in the second corner. I wore out the rear tire on the left side, and I wasn't able to brake well anymore.
There's also something else to be happy about.
"They're mathematically 2nd in the championship ," he emphasized. "If we look at Marquez, it's a disappointing result, but if we think of all the others, it means that we're able to manage the season better."
Now, the sore point.
"The gap with Marquez was too big," Dovi admitted. I arrived at 15 seconds. Even without the error, it would have been 14. Still a lot. This also confirms that we've had too many ups and downs this season. We struggled more than in the past, and this was a difficult race for me."
The worst, however, was the confrontation with Marc who practically brought the Honda to a single point from Ducati in the teams classification.
"I forgot this other point... let's add it to the list," Andrea tried to be ironic, but the defeat this time was more evident.
The rider from Forlì has been dictating the rules lately for returning to the top. Does Bagnaia's 4th place on the GP18 confirm that something in development didn't work?
"No, Phillip Island is a unique track where there are riders that go fast even if they're struggling in other circuits," he answered. "It's the riding style that makes the difference. Those who make the bike glide here are fast. It's no coincidence that Crutchlow and Iannone are always competitive in Australia. Bagnaia was fast, and I congratulate him, but he's still riding the MotoGP like a Moto2. This means braking less and speeding up in corners, a style that allows you to be fast at Phillip Island, even when the tires are worn because there's less load transfer. It's an unusual track, The riding style makes the biggest difference compared to the bike you ride."
Dovizioso's last comment was for Dalla Porta, his "heir", since he brought back the cadet class title to Italy after 15 years from Andrea's world championship title.
"I'm really happy that he succeeded," he said. "He had at least 3 or 4 fast opponents to beat, but he was more constant and deserved to win. He was the best."
