MotoGP factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso revealed a mistake on front tyre selection cost him, leaving the Italian likely having to go through Q1 Saturday afternoon in Texas.

The Italian ended the opening day eleventh fastest, 0.857 off of Vinales’ fastest time of the opening day. With rain forecast, Dovizioso is unlikely to improve upon his 2:04.714, likely leaving him having to navigate the potential banana skin that is Q1.

“We knew we would have struggled a bit more than usual on this track but, all in all, we’ve been competitive enough with a race setup,” said the Qatar race winner.

“This afternoon, in particular, our pace was decent. In retrospect, I think we didn’t choose the best front tyre for the final time attack in FP2. I couldn’t put together the lap that I wanted, and it’s a shame because tomorrow it’ll probably rain.

Despite the likelihood that he will have to go through the fifteen minute session to earn the right to start from the front four rows, Dovi was looking positively at the situation, hoping the extra track times allows him to set his GP19 up perfectly for what could be indifferent conditions.

“Looking at the positives, going through Q1 could represent an advantage to have more feeling on the wet in Q2,” he said.

“We’ll have to see what the weather is like tomorrow. Conditions may make a big difference in terms of grid positions and, consequently, the race itself: we’ll have to be ready for all scenarios.”