Dovizioso "knew" Marquez was planning last-corner lunge

Ducati rider Dovizioso chalked up his third MotoGP win of the season after staving off Marquez by less than two tenths of a second, the pair having spent almost the entirety of the race dicing for the lead.

The Italian veteran began the final lap ahead, and was able to keep Marquez at bay until the very closing stages, as the Honda rider got a better run through Turn 8.

That allowed Marquez to dive for the inside at Turn 9, the Spaniard running wide in the process as Dovizioso managed to get on the throttle earlier and kept the win.

Speaking post-race, Dovizioso said he could tell Marquez was planning to make an eleventh-hour lunge as he heard the reigning champion get on the throttle sooner out of Turn 8.

“The battle was really nice,” said Dovizioso. “We controlled the race, me and Marc, for the tyres, but is the worst thing you can have - Marc in the last lap behind.

“I hear in the last corner, he opened [the throttle] earlier than me so I knew he wanted to try [and pass at] the last corner, and I didn’t brake, I gave the possibility the overtake me.

“But I was good to stop the bike, and I was a little bit faster [exiting the corner].”

After dominating qualifying, points leader Marquez admitted the higher race-day track temperatures hurt him, but nonetheless said he stayed on the limit until the very end of the race.

“Yesterday I felt much better, with colder temperature on the track, but today was warmer and since the beginning I felt the rear tyre was a little bit on the limit,” he explained.

“I tried to manage well but on the last laps I was struggling a lot, especially on the edge part, just leaning the bike a little bit and losing the rear. Anyway, I try.

“[In the] last corner I was still on the limit, but this MotoGP, this is the show. Was not possible [to win], but next time we will try again.”

Marquez nonetheless extended his points lead to 16, with Dovizioso moving up to second in the standings ahead of Maverick Vinales after the Yamaha rider finished sixth.