Dovizioso ‘sorry and disappointed, this bike does not match the way I ride’

While MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo fought valiantly to try and secure a home podium in Le Mans - ultimately fell short as Aleix Espargaro held strong for third, the other three Yamaha riders including Dovizioso were instead battling for last of the completed runners. 

Although it’s no great surprise to see Dovizioso struggling as it’s been a common theme this season, the Italian’s performances have evidently become a worry. 

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Dovizioso has looked nothing like the rider who pushed Marc Marquez to his limits during 2016-2019, instead looking more like a rider who is on the verge of calling it a day in the premier class. 

"I expected much more from last weekend," said Dovizioso. "I'm very disappointed but it just confirms that the way to ride this bike does not match the way I ride it. 

"At this moment I’m not able to change that at all, I’m very sorry and disappointed. We move on to Mugello and see what can be done."

Franco Morbidelli one of many riders to suffer from overheating front tyre

While the speed for a podium or even win was visibly being shown, Quartararo was unable to attack Espargaro for third, just like Jerez when he failed to launch an attack against Francesco Bangaia for the win as overheating the front tyre was becoming a familiar problem, not just for him, but for all MotoGP riders in 2022. 

For Morbidelli, the 2020 runner-up felt he suffered the same issue in Le Mans when attempting to gain places behind Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio. 

Morbidelli, who fortuitously scored one point due to several riders crashing out whilst ahead of him, said: "It was a difficult race because I got stuck in the pack. It was tricky to fight with the guys, and I didn't have the perfect front feeling. 

"I couldn't make a lot of speed in the middle of the corner. In the end, we got one point, which is a trust injection. 

"We saw some good things and good speed this morning on used tyres, so things are there. We just need to understand how to put them together. The task is difficult, but we can do it!"

Although he has a contract in his pocket for 2023, Morbidelli’s shocking performances this season have put him under pressure, while Alex Rins confirmed after the French MotoGP that Yamaha are one of four manufacturers that he’s been in contact with. 

Last for the third time in four races, Darryn Binder ‘disappointed’ with Le Mans MotoGP performance

While expectation is considerably less for rookie Darryn Binder compared to Morbidelli and team-mate Dovizioso, the South African was over 20 seconds down on the latter who finished directly in front of him. 

Binder initially made a good start which has been a theme of his MotoGP career thus far, however, a mistake on lap two resulted in the former Moto3 rider losing touch with those ahead, before a very lonely race ensued. 

Speaking after Sunday’s Grand Prix, Binder added: "It was a difficult race for me. I'm a little bit disappointed with my performance. I really expected myself to do a bit better. 

"I had a very good start, passed a lot of guys in the first corner but unfortunately, I made a mistake and ran wide in turn three on my second or third lap. 

"After that, I really struggled throughout the race to be consistent and have a good pace. I have some things to work on and we'll see in Mugello."