Hoping to finally show the Dovizioso of old in Jerez, last weekend’s Spanish MotoGP was another hugely disappointing day for the former three-꧋ti🌠me runner-up. 

At no point was Dovizioso really in contention for points, as he instead struggled to push from the very beg🌱inning. 

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Despite claiming many riders around him were suffering from a lack of front grip, the Italian wasꦏ unable to capitalize as he finis🐽hed 17th - his second worst finish of the season (excluding his DNF at Mandalika).

Situation at Yamaha is ‘pretty bad’ - Dovizioso

Even after an apology during the Portimao MotoGP from Yamaha and assurances thatꦐ efforts would be made to produce a better bike, Jerez was a continuation of what we’ve seen throughout 2022 for🉐 Dovizioso and factory rider Franco Morbidelli. 

Both riders were once again miles behind Fabio Quartararo♏ who fought for victory.🌄 

S🐠peaking about his race, Dovizioso said: "I didn't expect a good race, to be honest. I didn't have a strong front grip and I saw all the other riders around me struggling with that. 

"It was very strange that nobody at all from the first lap was straight ෴braking in the middle of the corner and it was very difficult. 

"It happened already in the past in Jerez, some🐻times it is likﷺe this in the race. It's very strange, but when you see the lap times from the front group you are a bit surprised because without the grip, this was impossible. 

"It's pretty bad, I expected to be able to push, but I couldn't from the first lap. So, I just tried to survive and finish tܫhe race somehow."

Jerez MotoGP test a slight improvement? 

"It was pretty good, although it’s always physically hard to do a test straight after a race weekend, but at the same time, it’s always important to do it at the same track, because you have the right references 🌳to understand what you can t♔ry," continued Dovizioso. 

"We didn’t have new material, but we had the chance to use the day to test sev🥂eral settings, whereas during the weekend we don’t have time for that. We tried some different things in terms of weight distr𒐪ibution and other things. In the end, I felt a bit better. 

"The conditions have been differeꦍnt compared to the weekend, ♌because there was more wind. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with today."

Front tyre pressure ‘sky-high’ for Morbidelli 

As was to be expected fighting in the mid-pack, avoiding front tyre pressure rising was going to be key to making any sort of progress, something the 2020 runner-up faile😼d to do. 

Morbidelli gained just one place during the 25-lap race, and although it resulted 🍨in a points score, finishing 15th is a long way off where he and that bike🔯 should be. 

While world c💧hampion Fabio Quartararo was two tenths off the win, Morbidelli was 27 seconds away, the type of gap that is becoming all too familiar during 🐟race situations.

"When you start from far behind, and it's difficult to overtake like it is for us, 🔯the front pressure goes 🎐sky-high and you can't ride anymore," added Morbidelli. "Basically, I couldn't push all race long. I could only push when I overtook Luca [Marini], three laps before the end. 

"Actually, the lap times weren't so bad towards 💖the end. But starting from far behind things are like this. 

"We will work to refine everything and make another ste༒p in tomorrow's test, and then we will se﷽e in Le Mans."