The Italian reappeared in the last test, in Misano , after having enjoyed half a sabbatical year, once it was confirmed, last year, that he was not going to renew his contract with Ducati , the brand with which he had competed for the previous eight years.
The jolt caused by Maverick Viñales when leaving Yamaha ended up opening the garage door of the Sepang Racing Team (SRT) for Dovizioso, with whom he will race the last four stops on the calendar, and also the next exercise, in which he will have a Yamaha with factory specification.
Asked about his new bike and the performance that can be expected from it, the Forli rider was not yet in a position to set himself an objective other than trying to adapt to a prototype very different from the Desmosedici that he had so much for the hand.
However, Dovi did not hold back in the slightest when highlighting Quartararo ‘s form, both for his speed and, above all, for the regularity he has maintained up to now, key when it comes to understanding his position as leader, with almost a two-race margin (48 points) over Pecco Bagnaia , his closest rival.
“I didn’t expect Fabio to do so well. Not because he is not good, but because no one at Yamaha has been able to maintain that consistency, and because last year it cost him. The level it has reached is crazy”, answered Dovizioso , referring to the five victories and the nine podiums accumulated by the Devil , a tremendous contrast with the background of the rest of the runners of the brand on the tuning forks.
Viñales , the only one who has been able to win with the M1 in 2021, is not even on the Iwata manufacturer’s payroll; Franco Morbidelli has spent five races injured, and Valentino Rossi goes with the hook to not finish last on most Sundays.
Quartararo , on the other hand, is able to squeeze his bike and get all the juice out of it, despite the lack of speed that still exists, especially when measured against the almighty Ducati . “Fabio loses a lot on the straight, but he is able to recover it afterwards, break away and win. He is having an excellent year”, emphasizes #04 .
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