Andrea Dovizioso has said that he had to minimise risks en route to winning his third MotoGP race of the season and his first ever at his home Grand Prix in Misano.

The Italian took the lead from his team-mate in the opening stages of the race and successfully managed the gap back to Lorenzo and Marquez. Despite a late scare that saw Lorenzo cut the gap from 2.2 seconds down to 1.5 with two laps to go, Dovizioso knew he had the race under control and held on for the victory.

“After the warm up I was feeling good and I knew my speed was as good as my competitors, but you know with this tyres in MotoGP now sometimes it’s not enough in this situation, we need to create the situation,” explained the 32-year-old.

“I was so focused to do that. I knew how Jorge wanted to start leading and push. He didn’t push so hard at the beginning, maybe to save the tyre, I don’t know. So I overtake him and tried to save the tyre and play with the riders behind me. Tried to understand the speed and how comfortable I was to push, when I push and when I slow down. I did a 32.6 but I didn’t really take the maximum risk.

“So I understood we have a chance to win today. But at the end, Jorge tried to catch me and when he’s strong at the end he’s very, very fast, so I had to push again, but I didn’t want to make a mistake, because I think everybody was on the limit with the tyres. The grip in the race was very, very low compared to the practice and you can’t be aggressive.

“So I take some risks and I think in the same lap he crashed I did 32.8 and when I did 32.8 I knew it was enough to stop him, I had to minimise the risks. I have a really good feeling. We work really well in the test and from the test I knew I had a chance to fight and during the weekend the conditions were completely different, but we were good to understand what we have to do, working the small details. But it’s very nice to feel what I felt during the race. I was able to be smooth and keep a good lap time. The bike worked better than last year. I am so happy for that and for the future.

“To win here was something I really wanted, in the past with Ducati I struggle here a lot and it’s very important for Ducati to win here. It was very important to win today.”

Since Lorenzo’s win at Mugello earlier in the year, Ducati have won five of the six races since with Marquez’ sole victory coming in Germany. This has prompted many to call the Ducati the best bike on the grid. When asked, Dovizioso said he wasn’t so sure if it was that cut and dry.

“Nobody really can know. Maybe yes, maybe no,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to know this as it’s always a mix of the rider and the bike. For sure we’ve improved as we are faster at a track where in the past we wasn’t. but the only two Ducati riders are me and Jorge know Ducati have a good bike but sometimes it’s very difficult. Maybe, but I don’t know.”

So what is it that has improved the Ducati this year compared to previous years? Dovizioso said it wasn’t one magic change that has brought everything together, instead small changes on lots of different parts.

“We didn’t change something big and we didn’t change something in the last few months. It’s just about working together and trying to adapt to the tyres and the rules of the championship,” Dovi explained.

“This is nice because when you have a really good base its very difficult to make a step. You can improve step by step if you work all details and if you improve a little but in a few details, at the end of the race it’s a big thing. This is what happened.

“The tyres have the characteristics the electronics have another characteristics. The riders have to adapt to the situation, the tyre working in a different way. We are using the tyre in a different way and it’s a change, a small change but when you put everything together it can make a difference. It wasn’t something like Jorge said in Mugello. It’s the work of everybody in every area and when you put it all together we can fight for the victory.”

As well as being Dovizioso’s first win at Misano in his career, it’s Ducati’s first around the Italian circuit. Dovi said that as well as it showing the progression that the Ducati has made, it also means a lot to him personally.

“I think this victory means a lot for many reasons. First for Ducati because the last time it happens in 2007 and that means the bike wasn’t good on this track and now today, it was the best,” said Dovi.

“For me it was very important to win here in Misano as I never did something special in this track and it was very important to make the victory in this moment of the championship with the battle I have it was very important to win here, as it’s one of the best tracks of Jorge. We worked very well to do that.

“When you are leading for many laps you think  already a lot of things to the chequered flag came and I was screaming all lap and I was very satisfied. When you have one slow lap and you can think and you can scream, it was very nice. It’s something that doesn’t happen many times in your career. It was nice.”