Dovizioso says Iannone sub Barbera good for Ducati
Andrea Dovizioso believes Hector Barbera's arrival at Ducati will be good for the team, as the Spaniard replaces Andrea Iannone in this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Avintia rider Barbera will make his debut with the works team at Motegi replacing Iannone, who was ruled out of the weekend as he continues to recover from the back injury he sustained during practice for the San Marino Grand Prix.
Barbera will partner Dovizioso, who had hit out at Iannone last week for not being a team player.
"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," Dovizioso told Motorsport.com.
"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."
Dovizioso says Barbera and Iannone - who will leave the team at the end of the year - are completely different riders, and reckons the Spaniard's input will be "good" for Ducati.
"With him [Barbera], I battled every year in the world championship," Dovizioso said on Thursday. "I know him very well, we fought a lot in the past, he's a very fast rider.
"It's good for us, he's a completely different rider than Iannone and we will see what he can do with our bike."
Barbera, who is 10th in the championship, admitted the call to ride for Ducati came as a huge surprise to him.
"I'm sort of in shock and, on the other hand, it has been really hard getting to this point," he said. "We've been pretty competitive for the past two years and, when I arrived in Japan, the team told me there was a chance.
"They were pretty nervous and when they told me, my heart nearly stopped. I didn't sleep last night. It's incredible news, a dream that I've had since I was a kid."
The Spaniard insisted the Japanese outing is just a one-off and is under no illusions.
"It's just a replacement [deal], and this is not a place where I'll stay, but I believe in myself and in doing well, work hard and have the best weekend possible."
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