Ducati riders set to dominate Austria race, says Petrucci

Ducati has not won in MotoGP since Phillip Island 2010, when Casey Stoner took his final victory for the team, but arrives at the Red Bull Ring as a strong contender to end its losing streak.

The timesheets on both days of last month’s two-day test at the track were dominated by Ducati riders, Iannone posting the fastest time on the second day ahead of Dovizioso.

Petrucci believes that, such is the advantage of the works Ducatis around the Red Bull Ring, Iannone and Dovizioso will dominate if it remains dry and they don’t suffer major tyre problems.

“My opinion is that, if the race is dry and if the tyres are good, the two Ducatis will pull away from everyone,” said Petrucci.

“The two Andreas have a good engine, they are very good riders, they enjoy the track.

“Other times I have the chance to stay in front of them, but this time it’s difficult, because the gap with the engine [compared to the GP15] is so high.”

Dovizioso however has remained cautious about Ducati’s prospects of victory, saying the fact that Michelin has brought different tyres to Austria to the ones used in testing could complicate matters.

“For sure this track suits very well our bike,” admitted the Italian, who starts his 250th Grand Prix this weekend. “It’s fast on the straights, strong on acceleration, and the corners are quite slow.

“We are confident for the weekend, but [the race] is always different, you have to work on every detail to be strong over 28 laps.

“The biggest change is the tyres, because they are different from the test. We have to try the tyre to understand if our speed is the same as the test, and to see how it will work in the race.”