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What on earth is happening in MotoGP? Don't ask Andrea Dovizioso because he can't understand either. He is simply at a loss to find an explanation for how, on the same track, you can win a race on the Sunday before and the one after not even get near the podium…
"In the first race, the one interrupted by the red flag, the situation was very, very strange - he began - In practice I had done a lot of laps with the medium tyre on the rear, everything had always gone well, but as soon as I started I realized that it did not work and the situation continued to get worse".
"Something went wrong with the medium tyre"
Naturally Dovi went to ask Michelin for explanations…
“They told me they have to analyse what happened - he continued - I don't want to say any more, but I'm sure something went wrong. For me, the red flag was lucky, because with the soft tyre the situation was normal. But it cost me to start from the third row, I couldn't overtake. The problem is that on this track there is only one line under braking and when you follow someone, you can't brake wherever you want, so I couldn't make use of my strong point. Furthermore, I was struggling out of corners and could not prepare for overtaking ”.
Finally, he made a mistake on the last lap, giving up 4th place to Rins.
"Oliveira was not far away, I forced the braking at turn 3 to catch him and went wide," he admitted.
"Too many ups and downs, I have no explanation and it is destabilizing"
To see the glass half full, however, he made up 8 points on Quartararo and is now just 3 away from the championship lead.
"I'm in a good situation, but when there are so many ups and downs, it means that you don't have control of the situation and it's not a good feeling. In the last 4 or 5 years I had always managed to be constant, so it is something unusual. I don't have an answer as to why and I don't like this ”.
It is strange that the most analytical of pilots cannot find an explanation…
"There is no clear explanation, they are all suppositions and this bothers me - he reiterated - Usually, when you are slow, you get angry, you understand the problem and then you start working to find the solution. But today I started the race thinking I was very fast and I found myself running slower than most of the riders. You can't tell what's good and what's not, because there are too many ups and downs. For me and my team this is destabilizing”.
"The new tyre creates problems for everyone, we understood this in winter"
But the biggest suspects seem to be the tyres. The question then is: is it a quality problem or a limited range of use?
“Both - the answer - The first point is that the new tyre is causing problems for everyone. We had already complained about it in the winter, now the others are doing it too, it means that we had understood something, and that is what causes these ups and downs. Then, the tyres are not exactly all the same. We talked about it with Michelin in the Safety Commission and I think they are doing their best, I don't question their commitment, they are aware of the problem. Pointing the finger at someone is not my style and is futile, but they don't have the situation under control. You live in instability, you think you are fast and then you find yourself eleventh, it is not normal, a rider is very fast on one track and very slow on another. Again, it is not normal for such different things to happen in two consecutive races on the same track ”.
You begin to wonder how someone can win this championship…
"Nobody has the answer, if someone tells you they know, they are talking rubbish – was Dovizioso's position - My position in the standings is excellent, but you don't know when you will be strong and you have to live for the day".
"The green area is like gravel or grass, instead the riders are using it to take more risks"
Andrea opens up another issue after the tyres and has a lot to say about that too. In fact, a lot of riders questioned the Stewards over the decision not to penalize Pol Espargarò after he went off the track at the last corner.
“I don't agree with this regulation - he said - The green part outside the curves is designed to increase safety and does a great job. Before, in its place, there was gravel or grass and when you ended up on it you either crashed or lost a lot of time. Instead now that part is used to take more risks, you know that if you make a mistake nothing serious happens. This attitude starts from the tests: some riders try, at the very worst their lap is cancelled but this leads to a completely different approach ”.
The fight in the last corner at the Red Bull Ring is something Dovizioso is familiar with…
“There are lucid riders and others who simply try - he continued - Pol did not make a smart move to resist on the outside, because that way it is the other rider, the one inside, who is in control of the situation. In fact, against Marquez, I did the opposite: I crossed the line and came out stronger, like Oliveira today. I don't want to comment on the decision of the Stewards, the difference is the interpretation of the rules and as long as this is the case, you can't complain about what happens. For me that green part should be considered as gravel or grass, if there were heavy penalties no one would use it ”.
