Dovizioso 4th and Petrucci 21st at the end of the first two free practice sessions of the Spanish GP in Jerez


MotoGP | Round 1 - Spanish GP 2020 | Friday 17 July 2020
Dovizioso 4th and Petrucci 21st at the end of the first two free practice sessions of the Spanish GP in Jerez

The Ducati Team riders took to the track today for the first two free practice sessions of the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend at the Andalusian circuit of Jerez de la Frontera. 

Andrea Dovizioso closed the first day with the fourth time overall, thanks to a fast lap in 1:37.471 posted with his Desmosedici GP bike during the morning session, when the asphalt temperatures had not yet exceeded the 50 degrees that were reached in the afternoon, allowing a quicker pace.

His teammate Danilo Petrucci, who was back on the bike again after a nasty crash suffered on Wednesday's pre-race test that, luckily, left him with no significant consequences, ended FP2 in 13th position. The provisional classification currently sees him in 21st place at the end of the first day, with the fastest time of 1:38.507 posted during this morning FP1.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:37.471 (4th)
"Today went well! I am pleased because we were able to take a step further than Wednesday's test, and that was our main goal for the day. We got very close to the fastest riders, and we also have a good pace ahead of Sunday's race. The GP this Sunday will be very hard, and I still don't feel completely comfortable on the bike, but we have several aspects that we need to work on, and for sure, we have room for improvements. In general, I am satisfied with this first day." 

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:38.507 (21st)
"It was quite difficult to find the rhythm immediately after Wednesday's crash! In this morning's session, I didn't feel completely well on the bike, but, in the afternoon, I started to regain the feeling with the Desmosedici GP despite the great heat. There are still several aspects that we need to improve, especially the race pace, but we have already managed to get closer to the firsts, and this makes me positive and confident for the rest of the weekend". 

The Ducati Team riders will be back out on the track tomorrow, Saturday, 18th July, at 9:55 local time for the Free Practice 3, while Qualifying will be held in the afternoon after FP4 starting from 14:10 local time.
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Andrea Dovizioso
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