Dovizioso feels pressure of Honda role

After an impressive rookie season with the satellite JiR Scot squad last year, Dovizioso was signed by the works Repsol Honda team to replace former champion Nicky Hayden.

He has since had to carry out most of the team's winter testing workload following a series of injury blows for team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

At a Repsol launch event in Madrid's Palacio de Deportes yesterday, Dovizioso said he was still adjusting to his status as a factory rider with one of MotoGP's top teams.

"It is a great experience and an incredible challenge, something I have already had a chance to see in the pre-season practice sessions," he said.

"Being in the official team means that you carry more responsibility. I now have to help develop the motorbike, and that in the world of MotoGP is quite complex.

"All I did before was to ride and go as fast as possible, refining the set-up, but now I also have to think about how the bike behaves so that its overall performance can be improved."

Dovizioso had been concerned about Honda's performance as it trailed Yamaha, Ducati and Suzuki in the Sepang and Losail tests, but he is optimistic about recent developments.

"The bike is going quite a bit better as we have more power coming from the engine, and a new chassis has really helped us with the sensations that the front end transmits to us, it now leans over better," he said.