With over a quarter of the MotoGP season already postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso sat down for an interview to provide insight into his mindset during these unusual times.
More races are expected to suffer the similar fate of being postponed as uncertainty towards racing in 2020 is still very much up in the air.
MotoGP riders have had two Virtual Grand Prix races so far, with Alex Marquez taking victory at Mugello, before Francesco Bagnaia became the second rider to claim his first win at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Dovizioso’s teammate Danilo Petrucci, made his virtual racing debut in the Austrian event, while Dovizioso is yet to feature.
Like many of his compatriots in Italy, Dovizioso is one of the more heavily impacted riders in this difficult period.
The championship runner of the last three seasons spoke about coping with lockdown life, preseason testing and more.
Dovizioso said: “At the beginning, it was quite hard. My girlfriend and I did a few housework, but now things have changed a little. My daughter is staying with us, and there is a lot of work to do with her”.
“Nobody expected the situation to turn out this bad, so it is really strange. Now it is crucial to stay at home. I know it is difficult, but we all have to try to go out only when needed, also because it seems that this measure is working, so we need to continue like this”.
Apart from family life, Dovizioso has taken this current situation as an opportunity to focus even more on his training: “I am training harder than before. Normally, our schedule is tight. We have to train, but also find some time to rest to be ready for the race weekend. Now I can train as much as I want”.
“I am trying to follow motocross as much as I can, also because in America they are allowed to continue their activities, so I can watch what they’re doing. For me, it is like a sort of time to recharge”.
With Ducati looking to go one better in 2020, Dovizioso highlighted his goals for the upcoming season, saying: “Of course, we head into the new season to fight for the championship. If that will be possible, we are only able to find out during the season, but it is always difficult as there are a lot of fast riders. It is hard to be the best, but you need to have this mindset to become like that”.
While riders wait in anticipation for round one of the new campaign, Dovizioso also touched on the two three-day tests they had in Malaysia and Qatar, along with the development of the Desmocedici GP20.
“I think that two preseason tests are not enough for us. Our bodies are not ready yet to ride that much for three consecutive days. I spend most of the time trying new items, and we also need to be sure before deciding on which way continuing our development. That is why I am usually not that fast during the tests. I always try to try the materials during the right time and with certain tyres because I want to give the right feedback”.
You can watch the full interview on the Ducati Corse Instagram and Twitter pages along with their YouTube channel.
