Dovizioso tried, he gave it his all in the hope of at least delaying Marquez's party, but it wasn't enough. Andrea was forced to admit defeat, crashing on the Motegi asphalt and leaving Marc to celebrate his 7th title. The Italian is nevertheless quick to congratulate Marc.

“Marquez's stats are crazy, they're scary. And he continues to improve, he never settle. He's not a rider who's happy with what he's just done, he always looks ahead. This is why he's won so much”.

He will be your rival again next year…

“And I know it will be tough to fight him for the title, but it's also great”.

How will you prepare?

“Marquez is not unbeatable, but you have to study and work hard, as he does. We need to improve not just the bike, but myself too. In recent years we've managed to do so, but not enough as he's still won”.

He may not be unbeatable, but he's a touch nut to crack…

“I'm aware he has very particular characteristics as a rider, many champions have had highs and lows, he hasn't”.

Marquez admits he has learned from you, what can you learn from him?

“Many things, because he's the best in many areas. He can be quick right from lap one, he reacts quickly to any changes in the conditions, he can always ride on the limit, for many laps without making a mistake. Many riders have some of there qualities, but he has them all”.

Marquez says he'd prefer to beat Lorenzo on the Honda, would you like to fight Marc on the Ducati?

“It's impossible to say. Right now, the Honda is perfect for Marquez, and he knows how to adapt to the characteristics of the bike and the changes to the regulation. It would be crazy to say he wouldn't be quick on the Ducati, but I don't know if he'd be the quickest”.

Are you disappointed you couldn't beat him today?

“You can only be disappointed when you're fighting for the win and then score zero points. Luckily, I wasn't fighting for the title.”.

What happened?

“I'll need to rewatch the race, because when Marquez got in front of me, he was riding strangely to prevent me from passing. He couldn't have stuck behind me riding like that. There were a few points where I could pass him, but I had to create the situation. I anticipated corner entry so I could be close to him on exit, but I asked too much of the front tyre and went down”.

And now Rossi is only 9 points from you…

“This is a strange year for him, not being competitive has meant he's never taken risks, always scoring points which has paid off. But I think he'll be strong at Phillip Island, so it will be an important test for us at a track where we've always struggled”.

But it seems almost absurd to see a Yamaha so close to a Ducati in the standings this year…

“I've lost too many points first of all, there have been a few mistakes. While Valentino has managed the situations he finds himself in, though I know he's angry that he's not able to be more competitive. Our situations are totally different, if the new season started tomorrow I'd be more than ready to fight”.