By: Oriol Puigdemont, MotoGP Editor
Translated by: Pablo Elizalde, News Editor
2016-10-06
Andrea Dovizioso chats to Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview about Ducati's mixed 2016 MotoGP campaign, as well as his current and future teammates.
Can you sum up your season so far?
We arrived in Qatar ready, after a difficult winter. Then, in the first three races I could have climbed on the podium, but I scored two zeroes because of others. That changed how I had to manage the championship, because I could have been much higher up right now.
Despite that, I think we have to be happy with the speed we have shown. We closed the gap on the other bikes. What we are missing is consistency, being competitive on all tracks.
It's true that this year is very peculiar because with Michelin we have to start from scratch on every track. You also have to keep tyre development in mind. We have been affected more because of the problems [Scott] Redding and [Loriz] Baz had, that led to Michelin picking a direction that's not good for us.
In any case, we have to correct some things on the bike for next year because next year we want to fight for the title.
Before the start of the season, Ducati set the target of winning one race, something that it did in Austria. Does that mean the year is a success?
That victory doesn't change anything. It was important to win in Austria, and especially getting a 1-2, but if on the other tracks you are not in a position to win, you can't try to fight for the title.
What is the bike missing?
Our bike struggles to turn. When you enter the corner and get off the brakes, it is still not as quick as the others. Not as fast as the Honda, or the Yamaha or the Suzuki. We have the advantage that we accelerate better, so the difference is not that big in the end.
Does the physical demand of the Ducati affect you?
It affects you a lot. In MotoGP the intensity is very high. For example, let's think about FP4, which is very important to know where we'll be in the race. More or less, we are close to the top most of the time, maybe three or four tenths from the fastest.
But each rider is running on a different intensity. If I have to give 100 percent in practice and you are quickest giving just 95 percent, those three tenths can become six on Sunday, when you are on the edge. At this level, five percent is huge. We are faster than last year, but we are needing to use too much energy.
Won't improving your physical condition help mitigate that?
No, because strength doesn't make you last longer. If you use more strength, you last less. The important thing is the rhythm.
The goal is to be fast in the race, but with a good rhythm. If in in practice session when I have flow I finish fourth or fifth, in the race I'll be first or second.
What is it like having Iannone as teammate?
Iannone is not a rider with whom you can work as a team. He thinks he's very important and he only thinks about himself.
So it's hard to establish a relationship that helps us develop the bike together, just like you can't compete against him in a calm way. It's not easy.
Next year you'll have Jorge Lorenzo alongside you. He will have to adapt to Ducati from Yamaha, like you did in the past. Do you think he could be in for a shock, especially given the physical demands you mention?
Yes, but you have to keep in mind that when I made the switch, the difference between the two bikes was much bigger than now. The Yamaha is the most balanced bike in the championship, but ours doesn't have the same limitations it had in the past. The change I or Valentino [Rossi] faced was bigger than what Jorge will go through.
Despite that, I don't think it's going to be easy because he only knows that bike.
What does Gigi Dall'Igna bring?
Before he arrived, Ducati had many problems in all areas. Dealing with the engineers was hard because the team was going through a transition. Gigi arrived and brought order, and he did it well.
There's a lot of restructuring work to extract the best from each person. But the most important thing is that he created a hierarchy, so now everybody knows who is the boss. It wasn't like that before, and, among Italians, it was often a big mess.
You had Stoner as a teammate in the past, and now he is a tester. What does he bring?
Obviously, the relationship has changed a lot because now if he can help you, he does. He's very positive and he has changed the way he looks at the races.
He hated everybody before, and that led to him shutting down and always being angry. Now he does what he wants, he's much more relaxed, he comes over and talks to you and spends time with you.
What does he bring? Good things. Let's say he's not the usual test rider, like Pirro, who is completely involved in the development of the bike. Casey has done a few tests and has given his opinion, but his influence this year has not been big because he hasn't always been there.
ENDS
