Factory Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso said that he is disappointed rather than angry after failing to get into Q2, leaving him to start the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring from thirteenth position.

The Italian has been struggling all weekend after a tough outing last weekend in Assen. After looking he was going to secure a passage into Q2 with the second fastest lap in Q1, a late lap from the injured Taka Nakagami saw Dovi crash out, leaving him to start from the fifth row.

“I’m disappointed rather than angry,” said the Italian.

“I tried to be optimistic when I got here but when things get complicated I can’t get the best out of the bike. Our rivals have improved more than us and rather than getting closer to Marc, others have got between us.

“This is the biggest problem. It’s not easy to work and stay calm when things don’t go to plan. Marc and Honda have only increased their advantage.

“In this situation, we don’t have enough card to play right now. The most complicated thing to understand will be pace.

“This morning we tried the soft tyre but it’s hard to compare it to the hard, mainly due to the temperature. I’m losing too much, particularly through the turns. And in trying to exploit the rear tyre, there’s a risk of consuming it faster.”

Despite thing seeming bleak for the Ducati man, he is still second in the World Championship and he said he will give his all in the race.

“I don’t think we’re in the same situation as Assen,” he said.

“The top four have better pace, but we’ll see how they do with tyre management. Then I think there’s a big group behind them. Starting further back doesn’t help of course.