Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso was left “angry” after a blown engine and a defective tyre compromised his efforts on the opening day of practice for MotoGP’s Italian Grand Prix.
Dovizioso was 12th fastest in second practice at Mugello after his GP18’s engine blew in spectacular fashion approaching San Donato, causing the second red flag of the session after Ducati team-mate Michele Pirro’s huge crash at the same corner.
The Italian’s problems were compounded by a defective tyre on his second bike, which combined with the unusual conditions of the morning FP1 session left him frustrated with a wasted day.
“It’s really bad for us today because we couldn’t work,” Dovizioso said.
“We had a problem with the engine, but when we changed the bike, the tyre we put in didn’t work.
“It’s very bad, because nobody has a lot of time to work on that.
“You lose two sessions, because this morning the conditions were strange for everybody and this afternoon we couldn’t work.
“That’s bad because we couldn’t make the lap time, we couldn’t work on the bike; maybe we have a problem with the tyres tomorrow, because when you have a wrong tyre you can’t use the next day.
“It’s not the best situation. But it is what it is and we have to try manage this.”
Asked for his thoughts on establishing a new MotoGP speed record of 356.4km/h (221.5mph), he replied: “I’m just angry about how today was, I don’t care about that speed.”
Lorenzo annoyed by tyre issues
Jorge Lorenzo ended the day as the best of the three works Ducati riders in 10th, just under a second off the pace set by the rider he replaced at the Italian marque, Andrea Iannone.
The three-time MotoGP champion, who is looking likely to leave Ducati at the end of the year, said he was frustrated that a problem with his tyre prevented him from going faster.
“It’s been a positive day because I had good pace, but when you put on the soft tyre you expect to improve half a second and there was no way,” said Lorenzo.
“Another defective tyre, it happens too often. It feels as if on Fridays they bring tyres that have been used in other grands prix and they are not good.
“It confuses you and annoys you a bit. I hope tomorrow the tyres work better and there’s more grip.”