Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia
Breaking news

Dovizioso: Ducati needs to think of long-term answers

Andrea Dovizioso says Ducati must start thinking long-term about how to improve its MotoGP bike, as he suggested the Italian marque may have to wait until next year to be fully competitive.

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team

Ducati’s season started well in Qatar as Dovizioso finished a close second to race winner Maverick Vinales, but both the Italian and teammate Jorge Lorenzo failed to score in Argentina due to crashes.

Dovizioso finished sixth at Austin last weekend, ending up 14 seconds behind Marc Marquez, while Lorenzo came home in ninth place in what was his best outing for the team to date.

Ducati entered the campaign with ambitions of becoming a regular race winner and title contender with new signing Lorenzo, although technical boss Gigi Dall’Igna admitted on the eve of the season that it was unlikely to achieve this goal in 2017.

Now Dovizioso believes Ducati must begin to start thinking further into the future about how it will make the Desmosedici a race-winning bike after its disappointing start to the year.

“What’s happening now isn’t good,” he said. “We are closer [to the front] than last year, but at the moment we aren’t as competitive as we would like.

“There is no precise plan, and this is the most important aspect. Now is the time to get to the table and speak about the future.

“We can’t talk any more about Jerez, Le Mans or Mugello because we are a factory team and this is not the speed that will allow us to fight for the championship.

“Whether it’s the end of this year or next year, this depends on a series of factors. You can’t predict how many months it will take to make a change.”

Traditionally, Ducati’s greatest strength has been its acceleration and top speed, with a lack of turning ability and mid-corner grip often cited as its major weakness compared to rivals Yamaha and Honda.

But Dovizioso emphasised that there was no one area Ducati has to focus on, saying instead that the Borgo Panigale manufacturer will have to conduct a thorough overhaul of the Desmosedici.

“We need to talk about the bike in 360 degrees,” added the Italian. “There is no [single] bad aspect that we have to work on. It’s a mix of many aspects that must work together.

“I don’t want to call it a disaster, we must stay calm and work. But I’m the first to be disappointed and to know the limits of the bike.”

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Crutchlow says Honda MotoGP riders flattering their bike
Next article Suzuki confirms Tsuda as Rins stand-in for Jerez

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia