Dovizioso: Marquez, Yamaha and Suzuki will all be strong

Andrea Dovizioso is bracing for another tough track for Ducati at this weekend’s German MotoGP as he sees Sachsenring as a circuit which suits both chief title rival Marc Marquez plus the Yamaha and Suzuki riders.

Given the demands on corner speed and change of direction, and less of a chance for Ducati to exploit its acceleration and top-end speed with no long straights at Sachsenring, Dovizioso is already anticipating a race where the Italian manufacturer will struggle against its rivals – along with Marquez given his perfect MotoGP record at the track.

“The track’s layout isn’t particularly suited for our bike’s characteristics, but the tyres also play a key role towards the final result of the race,” Dovizioso said.

“I don’t expect an easy challenge as we’ll have plenty of strong rivals, and not just Marquez because probably Yamaha and Suzuki will also be competitive on an anti-clockwise track with so many tight corners.”

While Dovizioso finished an underwhelming seventh place at last year’s German round, the last in a quartet of Ducatis who finished behind podium trio Marquez, Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, the Italian rider remains buoyed by closing the gap on the winners with Ducati in recent seasons.

Last year Dovizioso crossed the finish line less than eight seconds behind Marquez at the chequered flag, while Danilo Petrucci missed out on the podium by just half a second for Pramac Ducati.

“At any rate, we know we have our work cut out for us but each race is a different story and we want to keep moving forward on this circuit,” he said. “Last year the gap on the finish line was small, but we still have room for improvement.

“We need to stay focused and finish the first half of the championship on a positive note.”

Dovizioso has dropped to 44 points behind leader Marquez in the MotoGP riders’ championship, missing out on the podium at the last two races, with his last victory stretching back to the season-opener at Qatar.