Dovi to try 'new solutions' for Ducati corner speed

Confirmed as the Qatar MotoGP winner following the Court of Appeal's verdict on Ducati's swingarm spoiler, Andrea Dovizioso will focus on finding more corner speed from the GP19 in Argentina this weekend.

The Italian, who beat reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez by just 0.023s in the season opener, plans to try some 'new solutions' at Termas de Rio Hondo, a circuit where his only podium appearance was back in 2015.

"We started the season in the best possible way, winning the opening race in Qatar, but the championship is long and we know by experience we cannot let our guard down," Dovizioso said.

"We have a great base, we're working efficiently and we were able to make the most of our strong points at Losail, especially in terms of acceleration and top speed, but we need to improve our mid-corner speed.

"To this end, the upcoming race will represent a good benchmark and will allow us to try some new solutions. Our goal is to be on the podium also on less favourable tracks to be in contention until the very last race."

New team-mate Danilo Petrucci finished sixth on his factory Ducati team debut, albeit only 2.3s from victory. The Italian hasn't done better than seventh at Termas in the past, but expects at least a top five on Sunday.

"I'm ready to tackle the next race with even more motivation after finishing sixth in Qatar. I need to continue to be fast, but also to improve my overall approach ahead of the race.

"The Termas de Río Hondo circuit is somewhat tricky to interpret, its layout is quite peculiar and in the past it's been generally dirty in the early sessions, which increases tyre wear and doesn't help finding the right feeling.

"Things can change real quick also in terms of weather, it'll be crucial to start off on the right foot to maximize the track time during practice.

"I'm confident: last year we found a good setup for the race and we'll try to restart from there, our goal is once again to finish within the top five."