Dovizioso shrugs off qualifying, ‘maybe’ pre-race favourite

Andrea Dovizioso was unfazed by his showing in MotoGP qualifying at Losail after failing to translate his dominance over the first race weekend of 2018 into an all-out, explosive lap time.

Instead of focussing on his performance in Q2, the Italian retained the air of quiet confidence that has come to define his public interactions of late, pointing to the importance of adhering to strategy in Sunday’s 22-lap affair.

2017’s runner-up could place no higher than fifth in MotoGP qualifying after attempting to find suitable space on track to lap the 3.3-mile Losail International Circuit alone. “I didn’t prepare in a perfect way the last lap,” he conceded.

Yet that wasn’t the focus. Dovizioso’s pace in FP4 showcased his potential, and his response to a question regarding his position as a pre-race favourite acted as an insight into his thoughts on tomorrow.

“Well, maybe,” he said through a wry grin when pressed on whether he goes into Sunday as the man to beat. “I hope so!” Is there more pressure to win after placing second here for three years running? Another grin: “It depends which way you want to see it,” he smiled. “I think it’s positive. It means we are fast here.”

Referencing his performance in Q2, the Italian said, “I slowed down because a lot of riders were in the middle of the track. I didn’t prepare in a perfect way the last lap – [it’s] nothing.

“I think we have a good pace. We go into the race with a really good confidence but it’s very, very difficult to understand the pace of the competitor.

““It looks like too many riders have a good pace with the used tyres and the new tyre. I don’t think it will be the reality for the 22 laps but it’s difficult to understand who is in a better situation.

“For sure because it’s a track everybody knows, the energy and the consumption of the tyres makes a big effect every race, but here a lot. The strategy will be very important tomorrow for everybody for sure.”

A characteristic of that splendid title challenge six months ago was the 31-year old’s ability to manage races at will and emerge from multi-rider scraps ahead when explosive pace wasn’t necessarily evident.

On whether he felt this experience in races through 2017, including Mugello, Barcelona and Silverstone would be key tomorrow, he added, "Maybe. I mean, the first race is always crazy.

“In Qatar it’s always a crazy race. It depends a lot on the brain of the competitor so it’s not easy to manage this situation. But I feel good. We have to be smart and manage the situation in the best way.”