Andrea Dovizioso was sixth at the Andalusia Grand Prix, which took place at Jerez Circuit today. The Ducati Team rider, who started from fourteenth on the grid, was able to recover some positions immediately in the early stages of the race as he moved to ninth place already after just three laps.
With the high temperatures and the hot conditions, several riders were forced to retire in the GP. Still, the rider from Forlì was able to handle well the situation avoiding mistakes that could have compromised his race. Sixth just a few laps from the end, Andrea was able to retain the position until the finish line, scoring valuable points in terms of the championship.
It was an unfortunate race for his teammate Danilo Petrucci. The rider from Terni, who started from eleventh on the grid, slid out of the race with 14 laps to go, while he was in ninth position behind his teammate Dovizioso.
After the first two events of the 2020 MotoGP season, Dovizioso is third in the general standings, 24 points behind the leader, while Petrucci is fourteenth. In the manufacturers’ classification, Ducati is in second place, and the Ducati Team is third in the teams’ standings.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 6th
“It’s been a tough two weeks for us here in Jerez, but the good thing is that they have allowed us to gather useful information that we can analyze for the future. This morning we managed to find a good rhythm in the warm-up, but the conditions this afternoon were different. Also, in the race, I had a problem that I’d never had before during the weekend: in the middle of the corner, as soon as I let go of the brakes, I couldn’t feel the front, and it was like that from the first laps of the race. That’s why I couldn’t force too much, and I preferred to stay in the position I was without taking any risks. Surely if I had started closer to the front, I could have done better. Now we will have to be good at interpreting all the inputs received in these two weeks to prepare well for the race weekend in Brno”.
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – DNF
“I am sorry about how the race went today because we could have got a good result. I did not expect the crash also because I don’t think I was doing a risky manoeuvre: probably the tyres were already worn out, and I dared too much. I was chasing Dovizioso when I suddenly slid out at turn two. Now my goal is to get back fighting for the top positions, and I hope to be able to do so already in the next race, on a race track a little more favourable to the characteristics of our Ducati”.
The Ducati Team will be back on track in two weeks, from 7th to 9th August 2020 for the Czech Grand Prix, which will be held at Autodrom Brno.
