Nobody expected that after ten sabbatical months Andrea Dovizioso would return to the MotoGP World Championship and be fighting for victories from the start, but the role of the Italian rider, runner-up in the world in 2017, 2018 and 2019 with Ducati, who is struggling to get out of the last positions on the time sheet in each training session, is far from the benefits that appear on his service record.
Dovizioso got a contract with Yamaha for 2022 framed in the new RNF Racing team, the current Petronas, with the condition of having a factory M1, identical to the one worn by Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli. In return, he agreed to finish this season after the departure of Maverick Viñales to Aprilia and the promotion of Franco from the Malaysian team to official.
Carrying a motorcycle on the inferior role is one of the reasons that Dovizioso uses to understand the difficulty he is having in adapting to his new situation.
“The lap time is quite good considering the limits of our package,” he said at Portimao on Saturday. “Currently, it’s normal to be so far behind on the timesheet just losing a second from pole,” added Dovizioso, who qualified penultimate, just ahead of Takaaki Nakagami, who crashed.
“I think it’s useless to talk about the results now, next year will be important, but while it arrives we must take advantage of the opportunities waiting to finally be able to test the new bike at the Jerez tests”, which take place on the 18th. and November 19.
“I have not returned to MotoGP to be just another number, but right now that is the reality. I agreed to do these five races to prepare myself as well as possible for 2022, so performance now counts for little.”
“All riders like to be in the front positions, but there will be some reason why Morbidelli did not want to continue racing with this bike, despite the fact that he achieved the runner-up position last year with it,” said the Italian.
Dovizioso rode the Tech3 satellite Yamaha in 2012, just before joining Ducati, so for him it’s practically like starting from scratch.
“Adapting to a new bike takes time and I hope to have it. Everything is completely different from what I was used to, then there are some points where we lose a tenth for the pack,” insists the former Ducatista, who had a word of praise for his former team and the young driver who replaced him, Pecco Bagnaia .
“Pecco is doing an excellent job, because he is fast and also very consistent, both in qualifying and in the race. I can only congratulate him and Ducati, because four bikes are not placed in the top five by chance,” concluded the rider from Forli .
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
