'Big improvement' - Dovizioso eyeing podium challenge

Andrea Dovizioso may have qualified back on the third row, but his enthusiasm could not be hidden, as he talked up the ‘big improvement’ with his Ducati GP18’s set-up that he feels will allow him to challenge for the MotoGP podium in Austin.

The Ducatis were mired and some way off the pace on Friday, as the bumpy, low grip conditions ensured the GP18 was a wild ride around the 3.6-mile Circuit of the Americas. However, with the fitting of the aerodynamic fairing and some key changes, Dovizioso was up and running, cutting solid laps with used tyres.

“A big improvement,” said the 2017 runner-up after qualifying eighth. “Because yesterday we did eighth but without any speed. Today we did a lap time with our pace, this morning and in FP4, so we did a big step. And I'm really happy about that, because it's very difficult to make a big change day by day.

“And I think we took the right decision, about the fairing about the set up. The bike is a lot more smooth, it was easier to control, the front was better. The conditions are very difficult for everybody, for the bumps, for the layout, and for the temperature.

“So I'm really happy about that, we have become contenders for the podium. I think it will be difficult to do that but not impossible. In qualifying, another limit appeared. We had this idea before free practice four, but we didn't have time to work on that, because we wanted to try a hard tyre on the rear.

“Because already some other riders tried it and it was quite good. We wanted to try because maybe it is the last practice we would be able to try that tire. In the qualifying, that problem came out bigger, so it was good to have that feedback, because it's clear where I was losing and where we have to improve.

“We have ideas, we already had before FP4, I don't know if that will be enough to fix that point, but overall, we are very close to fighting for the podium. It will be difficult, also to start in the third row is not the best, but the race is long, it's very demanding, so everything is possible.”

Pressed to expand on the benefits of using the aerodynamic fairing around the twisty, undulating Austin layout, Dovizioso continued, “In this track you have to enter the corner a lot of times without the brake. And the fairing helps to do that, because it keeps the front low and that is positive.

“Still, with the fairing we are losing in some other parts, like always, but it's more benefits than the negative points. And with the fairing, the bike works a little bit better, so I have to change a little bit the riding style, because you can't ride in the same way, and I didn't have a lot of time, but I'm happy about that.”

Does he feel better placed than this time a year ago? “Better,” he said. “Not much. Better. I mean, in Argentina, I was really far away, I didn't have the feeling, and I couldn't make a good lap time. This morning I was able to make 2'05.4 with a used tyre. It's not bad, the race is always different, and let's see.”

And his thoughts on the Safety Commission meeting on Friday? “I think it was impossible to come out of that Safety Commission with a clear idea of what they have to do, or what we can do about that. But I think the only way it was like what happened to accept the request from them to be more restrictive, they will be more aggressive to make a penalty. I think this can help to be less aggressive.”