After taking a “sabbatical”, Andrea Dovizioso returned as a full-time rider with Yamaha at the end of 2021. Petronas SRT hosted the Italian before it was renamed RNF Racing, and at the gates of the European tour, Dovizioso has not finished finding the key on his Yamaha.
The Italian rider is riding a factory prototype, and this has only added to what has been a difficult campaign so far for Yamaha, with reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo scoring just one podium finish and teammate Franco Morbidelli between the top ten on a single occasion.
The last time Andrea Dovizioso got on a Yamaha was in 2012, with the Tech3 squad, which has allowed him to confirm that “the DNA” of the M1 has not changed since then.
“In my opinion, the situation is this: if I compare it to 2012, the DNA of the bike is very, very similar.
“It hasn’t changed. The Yamaha of now is not bad. I think it has the same advantages, but the negatives weigh a little more, considering that the rivals worked a lot and became more competitive.”
“That mix created this situation, because even Fabio [Quartararo], who had a crazy championship last year, is struggling to get a good result.”
Andrea Dovizioso has only scored a total of 15 points in the nine races he has contested since his return to MotoGP on the Yamaha of the RNF team. His first five races, at the end of 2021, were in the M1 from the 2019 season, but now he has the newer model, the same M1 as Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli in the factory team.
“As always, I don’t want to be here just to race, and I don’t like being in this position,” said the Italian. “So I’m very disappointed about it, because I really want to be up front.”
However, the Italian firmly believes that “there is still a chance to be strong”,
“Fabio [Quartararo] is proving it in every race, so for sure you can be faster with the Yamaha.”
Before starting the Portuguese Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso assured that the tuning fork brand apologized to him after finishing Austin. However, the Italian driver is satisfied with the communication he has had with the brand regarding his problems.
“I think Yamaha is in a bit of a tough spot right now.”
“I met with them, because I always want to do a technical meeting and it’s nice to work with them, because they are completely open to talk and realize the reality.
“They apologized to me when I fell 29 seconds [from the winner] after the race in Austin. So it’s nice because they understand the situation and together we try to be better,” concluded the Italian.
