MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 7 / SEPTEMBER 18-20, 2020
MISANO WORLD CIRCUIT MARCO SIMONCELLI / RIMINI, SAN MARINO
P76
Franco Morbidelli battled
a stomach flu all week,
soldiering on to place ninth.
"UNEMPLOYED DOVI"
As the season develops, Andrea
Dovizioso will slowly reveal more of
the reasoning behind his decision
to leave Ducati at the end of 2020.
There were signs of his strained
relationship with Claudio Domenicali
on Thursday. After the San Marino
Grand Prix, Ducati's CEO sent out
a tweet complimenting Francesco
Bagnaia's podium while at the same
time criticizing Dovizioso's repeated
complaints of the Ducati's turning de-
ficiencies. "[Bagnaia's] fantastic rid-
ing style, very off from the bike, helps
a lot to be fast in cornering speed
where we are often suffering." Asked
for a reaction to this, Dovizioso simply
stated, "I don't think it's a good idea
for Domenicali to tweet on Twitter."
MARINI IN MOTOGP?
Just when Ducati's lineup for 2021
appeared complete, a host of rumors
linking Moto2 title leader Luca Marini
to MotoGP emerged with some vigor
on the eve of this grand prix. The only
issue is space. Ducati has already
signed Enea Bastianini for Espon-
sorama Racing for 2021. And Tito
Rabat not only has a contract with
that team for next year, but he brings
in sponsorship that is crucial to the
team's survival. It's clear Ducati wants
Marini. But the team wants Rabat,
currently 20th in the world champion-
ship, to remain for the financial ben-
efits he brings. "They are burying me
before I die," said the Spaniard on
Friday. "But you never know. Every
day things change."
APRILIA'S PROBLEMS
Another home GP is close to passing
without fanfare for Aprilia. Aleix Es-
pargaro could qualify no higher than
16th six days after a lowly 13th-place
finish at the San Marino Grand Prix.
Wasn't the 2020 RS-GP supposed
to be a huge step up for the Noale
factory? According to lead rider
Espargaro, it is. But it has one fatal
flaw. "The bike is very good," he said.
"I'm happy with it and the setup. I can
stop the bike; I can have good corner
speed and the traction is quite okay.
But there is no engine at all. It's the
slowest engine in the grid in terms of
acceleration, and on this track, you
accelerate many times. I arrive very
late in the braking and I can't over-
take them."
Briefly...
