Andrea Dovizioso says his “very bad” crash at Turn 5 on lap nine of the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix was the result of a faster exit than previously from Turn 4.
The Ducati rider was chasing eventual race winner and team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and second-placed Marc Marquez in the early stages of the Catalunya race when he went down at Turn 5.
Dovizioso says he had to brake harder having exited Turn 4 faster, and the angle he was at meant he lost the front end.
After three crashes in the last four races, Dovizioso is now 49 points adrift of standings leader Marquez, and admits he is 'not fast enough' to match the speed of rejuvenated stablemate Lorenzo.
“I arrive in that corner faster because I exit Turn 4 a bit better, and I braked too much with more angle,” he said.
“Yes, it's very, very bad. Unfortunately in the race with less grip, I couldn't have the same pace as Jorge, one or tenths.
“It wasn't big, but it was enough to be on the limit because the grip was zero for everybody. There's nothing to say, we have to understand.
“What we can do now is just to study and try to understand. After the last two races I think we have some important data to understand where we can improve, but it's not easy.
“We are fast, we are there, but it's not enough.”
Marquez: Dovi crashes not normal
Marquez, who fought with Dovizioso for the 2017 title, labeled the Ducati rider's recent run of crashes as “not normal”, especially as he has enjoyed “incredible” consistency throughout his career.
When asked if Dovizioso is still his main title rival, the Honda man said: “It's like when you say a name, it's opposite.
“It's strange, because Dovi, during his career, his consistency is incredible, and looks like now – I was checking – and last four races he crash three times.
“It's something that is not normal, but he has a good speed, but looks like now Jorge is coming stronger and now we need to see how in different tracks, because Mugello and Montmelo are very similar, flowing tracks.
“But in another hand, Yamaha riders are there, especially Valentino [Rossi] is very strong, very consistent too.
“But it's what I say, I feel good with the bike and this is the most important thing, and I feel ready to suffer in some circuits and attack in other ones.”
