Dovizioso: "My feeling on the bike is not 100%"

P3 on Friday and only a tenth off the top - but the Championship leader says there's work to be done on Saturday

Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) had a good first day on track at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to go third quickest and less than a tenth off the top, and the rider from Forli says he's happy but there remains work to be done on Saturday. Believing the Repsol Honda Team to be a key threat for the win after what he's seen on Day 1, Dovizioso also had his eye on the man just behind him in the standings, Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP).

The Italian says their current speed won't be enough and he doesn't feel 100% on the bike as yet - but that it's also a good omen to see so much Ducati machinery in the top echelons.

Andrea Dovizioso, P3: "I am really happy about how we started today as we are very similar to the fastest riders, and this is very important. We found that we have different conditions – like every year in Misano – compared to the test, because in the test it was very hot and the way the tyre works is completely different. We had less grip than in the test and we had to adapt the setup and the electronics to today’s conditions, but I’m quite happy; happy about the speed but I know it will not be enough. I believe that Honda are very competitive, they are working a lot for the race and not just the laptime – also Maverick at the end was quite fast.

"A lot of Ducatis are fast so this is good, but my feeling on the bike is not 100% so we have to work in a few areas, however it was important to start with this good speed and then we can work on the details. To use a new fairing is a balance so it’s not easy to decide which one is better. For sure this track is going more in the way of the new fairing than Silverstone, but I have a good feeling with the new fairing so now we have a lot of data."

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