Qatar GP, Dovizioso: “Not being at the centre of attention is great”

It’s been three years since Andrea Dovizioso was last in Qatar for a race and various things have changed in the meantime. The Italian is no longer wearing Ducati red for example, now competing for team RNF, and he’s not among the favourites for the world title. “Not being at the centre of attention is often good for me”, Andrea admits, “The thing I don’t like is not having the situation under control, the rest is not a problem”.

The fact you don’t have it all under control – how important is that?

“I deal with it, but if I have to run a whole season without being competitive, then it becomes difficult. I wouldn’t like to be in that kind of situation as I’m not used to it, and MotoGP wouldn’t be enjoyable if things were like that. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy all the positives of being a rider in this championship – we’ll see how to manage things”.

What do you think is a realistic goal in Qatar?

“I don’t honestly know. The tests are always a separate thing, especially this year as they ran in strange conditions. I improved in Indonesia but not enough to be able to say where I can finish. I’ve never raced the Yamaha here so it’s all new – but I’m happy to be here in any case. The first race is always a little special, and the fact we haven’t tested here makes it even more unique. FP1 and FP3 won’t be very useful considering the time of those sessions, we’ll just ride because we have to”.

You’re clearly against the removal of the Qatar tests.

“I think that the problem is always the same at this track, which is little used during the year. Perhaps it would be useful to extend the sessions, but that would mean having more tyres, which we don’t have (he smiles)”.

Dovizioso: "Morbidelli, Quartararo and I are in three different situations"

Qatar will be followed by more dirty tracks in the shape of Mandalika and Termas. Do you think the first races can tell us anything useful with a view to the rest of the season?                                                                                

“They probably won’t give us a real picture, and the same will go for Texas, another different track. I think we’ll get a better idea once back in Europe, with more normal conditions and where we can understand more”.

Back to Qatar. Can we dream of another duel with Marquez?

“That would be a dream, yes. Dreams cost nothing, so until that day, sure, we can do that”.

Quartararo has said that the M1 offers little room for growth? Do you agree?

“I think that, aside from Binder, the three riders with factory bikes are all in totally different situations. Fabio won the title, getting the best out of the bike. Franco had a difficult 2021 so now he needs to put a lot of things together, while I’m coming from a different bike and need to adapt to the M1. The bike has strengths and weaknesses – I can understand the viewpoints of both my colleagues, but we each have different needs and riding styles”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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