4. Andrea Dovizioso (MotoGP)
Andrea Dovizioso already had a strong reputation within the Grand Prix paddock but he still manages to enhance it with every passing weekend. The Italian was exceptional on Saturday as he claimed his second podium finish of the season, splitting the Repsol Hondas in the process.
Andrea didn’t pull out one of the winning tickets in the lottery of qualifying with his single timed lap only good enough for seventh but a tremendous start saw him leap all the way up to second by the first corner, and first by the second. Marquez did blast past him at De Bult but Dovizioso locked himself onto the rear wheel of the Honda RC213V and soon left the rest of the field behind.
The change of bikes didn’t split the front two but an error from Marquez at De Bult certainly did. Andrea could have been forgiven for thinking a victory was on after being handed a four second lead but the factory Honda, combined with the world’s finest MotoGP rider, proved an impossible combination to hold off. ‘Dovi’ still finished a comfortable second though and now sits ahead of Jorge Lorenzo in the championship standings, a fair reflection on how impressive his 2014 has been so far.
(Photo Credit: Ducati)
