Andrea Dovizioso has said that having to overtake Alvaro Bautista on his hot qualifying lap ended up costing him time, which could’ve seen him claim pole position in Aragon.

The factory Ducati man ended up qualifying second just 0.014 seconds behind his teammates time, but Dovizioso said that he could’ve gone even faster had traffic not hampered him on his final hot lap.

“It was impossible in the last run to create a better situation because there were too many riders in the same position and when this happens, what can you do?” said Dovizioso.

“I tried to find a window; I didn’t want to push on the first lap because ewe slowed down too much and the tyres weren’t ready. I slowed down, but every rider slowed down so it was very difficult.

“But the point is we were on the second row so I have to do the lap time. I was able to find a good window, but unfortunately Alvaro didn’t make a good lap time, he was in front of me, with a small gap and I catch him immediately. I had to find a way to overtake him. I did in turn 12, but I had to make a strange brake and I almost crash, because everybody was on the limit and I lose time.”

Despite being disappointed to not get the pole position, Dovizioso remained pragmatic about his front row start and his feeling on the Desmosedici.

“I am really happy with the feeling I have on the bike, because I was able to be faster, but the pace in the race is really good,” he said.

“I am happier than what I expected to be for the weekend because during practice we improve a little bit – not the speed but the way we can save the tyre, and I think it will be the key tomorrow for everybody.

“It will be a difficult race because everybody is struggling with the consumption of the rear tyre and it will be very hot, so the strategy will be very, very important for tomorrow.”