MotoGP points leader Marc Marquez believes Ducati is so fast currently because Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso are pushing each other hard this season.
Dovizioso convincingly beat Lorenzo last season, tallying up six wins and sustaining a title tilt through to the finale in Valencia while the latter managed just three podiums in a difficult debut year at Ducati.
However, both have been more evenly matched this year, with Lorenzo taking three wins to Dovizioso's two and leading him in the standing by a point in third.
Tensions have risen between the pair this year, with Lorenzo telling Spanish media earlier in the season Dovizioso was 'undermining' him, and later said his teammate was not as quick as the top riders in MotoGP.
Currently his closest rival in terms of pure performance, Marquez believes the Ducati duo pushing each other as hard as they are is “maybe the main reason” they are so fast this season.
“I think the battle between Jorge and Dovi is the reason why they are so fast,” Marquez, who sits 59 points clear in the standings – 71 ahead of Lorenzo – said.
“Your teammate is always your first opponent, and they are riding really good right now, each one is equal in the championship, just a difference of one point.
“And this is maybe the main reason why both Ducati riders in very strong.
“The bike is working very well, but they are improving race by race because they wanna win the championship.
“We try to defend, we try to attack in the points where we are faster.”
When asked if he would agree to team orders reduce the advantage Marquez has in the standings, Lorenzo admits right now his main focus is to finish 'as far up the order as possible', but that his “mentality” is to help his team should the situation require.
“I think you have to understand in this moment where we are. Marc is first, I'm third and Dovi is fourth, but we are more or less equal points,” he said.
“We want all to finish as far [up the order] as possible, in this case second place is the most logical we have now – maybe first is something strange.
“So we want everyone to finish as far in front as possible. Another case, like last year, Dovi is fighting with Marc, I'm not fighting for nothing in the championship.
“In that case my mentality is try to help my teammate, so my factory, to try to win the title.
“And I will do whatever I can to help my teammate win the title. I will do this with Dovi, or whatever rider I will have in the future, or in the past; in the past I didn't have occasions to demonstrate it.
“But it's my mentality, I support all mentalities, but my mentality is to support my factory.”
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