Andrea Dovizioso Feels Strange Sensation After Riding M1 Spec-A
The Italian, who is contracted until the 2023 season, faces his first challenge. He tried the YZR-M1 spec-A.
It is natural that Dovizioso gets a strange sensation and shows a less than satisfactory performance. The 35-year-old has ridden a Ducati for eight years, then tested Aprilia a few months ago.
He ended Friday's practice in the final position of the combined time by a margin of 2.545 seconds from Maverick Vinales, the master of the session.
"It feels very, very strange. I mean, this bike is very different. I still don't feel comfortable, but the change is very big, more on the position and size of the bike, than how the bike works because this morning I wasn't too far away.
"I didn't speed up, but the feeling was very good in some areas. About the position, we work. Some things we can do, others not yet. It's very strange, but in a good way."
The pilot who had an argument with Ducati boss Luigi Dall'Igna was actually not entirely unfamiliar with Yamaha motorcycles. He joined the Tech3 satellite team in 2012.
Even so, there is certainly a difference with the bike he rode in the past and the M1 spec-A. But he also found similarities.
"It's nice to feel different, a big difference. I had to push a little bit more to understand a few things, but it was a lot of fun."
"It's too early to talk about anything in detail, I have to be tight. But, there are still a lot of similar things, this is what I expected.
"The Mentality of the Japanese is like that and I'm not surprised. I think it's bigger and longer in the championship. It's not about comparing with Ducati or Aprilia."
Franco Morbidelli had the same experience as Dovizioso. He was finally given the manufacturer's version of the YZR-M1, a relic of Maverick Vinales.
The Italian admitted he could not compare his bike. Currently, he is still adapting again after a long absence due to a left knee injury.
"I want to say something about the comparison between the two bikes, but honestly, I didn't feel anything today. I jumped on the bike and after some time, it felt like a shuttle," he explained.
"So I haven't been able to give feedback on the difference between the two bikes. This will be a day I will remember forever.
"It's great to have this kind of environment and it's great to be able to do FP1, FP2 in Misano with this colour.
"Today went well, I had difficulties with the knee, this morning, rather than the afternoon. I tried to find a way to put my foot on the footing easily all day.
"The more laps I did, the more solutions I tried. The more solutions I find for this problem."
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