The wheelin’ Italian made a good start from fifth position on the grid, but others around him seemed to come to terms with their Michelin tires sooner rather than later, which made his charge to the front take longer than expected. Pole-sitter Johann Zarco maintained the lead from the start, and surprisingly had enough pace to hold back a charging Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez during the opening stages of the race. Eventually, it became a three-horse race with Zarco, Marquez, and Rossi separating from the rest of the field.
It wasn’t until lap 17 of 22 that Dovizioso got past Rossi and began his charge to the front of the pack. “Dovi,” as most call him, showed off his Ducati’s robust horsepower as he managed to squeeze by Marquez and Zarco at the end of the main straightaway to claim the lead of the race, which he clung to until the end. Of course, with Marc Marquez right behind him, it wasn’t necessarily a Sunday ride for the Italian.
