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From tomorrow, after 8 years, Andrea Dovizioso will no longer be a Ducati rider. He will not even be a full-time MotoGP rider anymore and perhaps a new phase in his life will begin. The watershed was the Portimao race, which ended with a battle for 6th place, the last rush of adrenaline.
Andrea, what did you think when you passed under the chequered flag?
"I'm not a person who easily gets emotional, even if I have changed a bit in recent years. But today I was completely concentrated on the race and on 4th place in the championship, I was fighting with 6 other riders, I was no longer precise in my riding, I was in pain with my arm, I was only thinking if that 4th place were mine ”.
And now, how would you describe your feelings?
"I feel light and angry."
Explain yourself…
“I don't want to say that this is my last race in MotoGP, just my last race with Ducati. I still feel competitive and not being able to continue racing in another situation bothers me but doing it this way is not what I want. I didn't agree on certain things and getting out of this situation makes me feel lighter. This does not mean that I am against everything and everyone ”.
However...
“However, after 8 years in this system, today everything ends and I can't say that I am living it in a bad way. It is not fair to generalize, I will miss a lot of things, with my team I had a special relationship and a good relationship with many people in Ducati. But there were other things I didn’t like and for this reason I feel good ".
What do you see looking back?
“What a lot of people have forgotten, but not me. What situation we were in 6 or 8 years ago, when I think back I'm happy with what we did together. Unfortunately we weren't able to win the title, it would have been perfect, and we weren't even able to live the last 3 years in a way that is not special but just normal ”.
You entered the World Championship very young, what has this experience left you?
“I learned a lot, because in this world you live in a bubble but you have so many experiences. You are still small when you start comparing yourself with people older than you, you live and travel with them, you have to make decisions, you have to wake up. It's crazy to think how much sport can make you progress quickly, you realize that there are so many ways to overcome walls that seem impassable to you and when you do, a world opens up. There is always something to learn, especially in this moment when so many young riders have arrived, those who have less experience but are also able to do some things better. I feel lucky to have lived like this, to have been forced to constantly improve, year after year ”.
But this hasn't been your best season…
“Before it started, I wouldn't have been happy with 4th place in the standings. On the other hand, this year I have never had good sensations on the bike, I was always behind, in practice, in qualifying, in the race. I couldn't ride like in the past, yet I got this result, it's proof that my approach works ”.
What will your life be like from tomorrow?
"I have already said, I like motocross and I will have more time to dedicate to it now that my life no longer revolves around MotoGP. I don't have any plans and a lot of free time, but I won't sit on the sofa thinking about my future ”.
Would you like to have your own team?
“Never say never, but I have seen how many problems there are in managing a team, it's crazy (laughs). More than having a team, I'd like to work on a technical level with the riders, but I'm not ready to do it yet. We know how fast things change in our sport, let's see what will happen ”.
