Dovizioso: People look at me differently now I'm winning

The 31-year-old is in his 10th season in the premier class of grand prix racing, but prior to this year he had only won two races and had a best position in the championship of third in 2011. 

However, with four wins to his belt already this year, the Italian has emerged as a legitimate title contender, retaking the lead in the standings from Marc Marquez with victory last time out at Silverstone.

Asked if his improved MotoGP form has had any effect on his life, Dovizioso said: “My life has become better – people look at me in a different way when you start to win.

“In this world it changes a lot. I don’t have the same opinion but this is what has happened. I’m really happy about the results we have taken this year, because it’s a consequence of hard work. 

“The first year with Ducati was very difficult [in 2013], I remember it very well, and that’s why it’s very nice to now be in this situation.

“It’s not just about me – I’ve improved the way I manage the weekends this season, but we improved the bike a little bit from last year.”

While Ducati’s high-profile signing Jorge Lorenzo is not a factor in the 2017 title fight, Dovizioso dismissed the idea of using team orders later in the season to support his championship bid.

“It’s never something I liked to see, especially on the bikes,” he said. “I don’t like it so much, and we are not thinking about this at the moment.”

Dovizioso added that MotoGP’s switch from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres for last season is an area Ducati has capitalised on to turn its fortunes around after a winless spell that dated back to 2010 prior to Andrea Iannone’s victory in the Austrian GP last year.

“The story of the tyres became much bigger last year, every bike and every rider uses them in a different way,” he said.

“I believe we are working every weekend in a really good way to try to work with the tyres – that is the key to this championship. Sometimes we work a little bit better maybe than our competitors.

“We have good grip when the tyre is new, and we can be fast when you don’t push 100 percent [to conserve the tyre].

“Then you are able to manage the race with the soft tyre, and you can keep a good speed without having to push too much in the beginning.”