Dovizioso says Ducati “still not complete” package
Andrea Dovizioso says Ducati's Austrian Grand Prix performance advantage won’t be repeated on a consistent basis unless it improves its Desmosedici GP16.
Dovizioso's Suzuki-bound teammate Andrea Iannone led home a Ducati 1-2 at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, and although Dovizioso believes the Italian marque can compete for further victories this year, he doubts whether its advantage will carry over to all other tracks.
“We know we’re still not complete, not good in every area,” said Dovizioso. “I think the Yamaha is more balanced – everywhere it is quite good. It’s easier for them to fight for the race every weekend, but we’re not far.
“The competitors are very strong. For example, Honda is not the best bike this year but Marquez has been the difference. To beat them is difficult.
“I’m focused on developing, we are thinking also about the future. You have to be good in every area, but to fight for the championship you have to be good in 18 races.
“Still we are not competitive in every track. Until you’re good in every area, it’s more or less impossible to fight for the championship.”
Motegi next best track for Ducati
In terms of specifics, Dovizioso said the Japanese Grand Prix in October was its next best bet for honours, but still believes that this weekend’s Brno race offers a chance to win.
“Motegi is maybe one of the best [tracks] for us,” he said, “but I believe here can be good and I think we’ll be competitive in some other places. I can see the future in a better way, I believe we can make it better.
“I’m really confident to be competitive also in this very difficult track. For sure for us it will be a little bit more difficult than Austria, but I believe we can be really close to fight for a similar position. I fought for the victory in three different situations in the last three races.”
Reflecting on his defeat by Iannone last Sunday, Dovizioso continued to lament his lack of grip relative to his teammate in the closing stages.
“I was in control of the race until the last six laps,” he added. “Unfortunately, when we started to push 100 percent, I didn’t have the same grip [as Iannone] in the right corners. I couldn’t stay close enough to fight with him. He rode a smart race, he managed the rear tyre consumption.
“The gap we had in Austria was big, it will be not easy to have that situation [again].”
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