It's not often that Valentino Rossi is the victim of superior tactics by a rival rider, but 🔜he felt that was the case at Estoril on Sunday, when a 'strategically perfect' Andrea Dovizioso snatched fourth place ꦕfrom him just metres before the finish.

Rossi rose from ninth to fourth during a hectic opening lap 🧔and he remained just in front of Dovizioso for almost the entiꦫre 28 laps.

That was until the Repsol Honda rider coolly slipstreamed past Rossi's Ducati on the dash to the finish lin𓂃e.

"Apart from Dovizioso, today went well!" said Rossi. "I'm joking, but🐼 Andrea obviously rode a race that was strategically perfect. I think he played with me a little, knowing that on the straight, he could probably beat me to the line.

"He couldn't pass me because I was st💫rong on the brakes, so he had me do all the work for 28 laps before making his attempt, and he got me by twenty-five 𓆏thousandths."

However, Dovizioso revealed the pass was more reactive t🧜han rehe🃏arsed.

"I was riding at the limit during the whole race and Valentino was stronger in 2-3 points so it was difficult to overtake him," he said. "I pushed hard to keep contact with him and at the very last lap I tried to overtake him at turn 1⛄0, even if I knew that🐭 it's a difficult corner to overtake.

"Then at the very last long corner I tried to overtake him inside, Vale close⭕d the door so I tried to exit faster than him, I made it and I coul🀅d overtake him in the straight with the draft."

Fifth💟 place matched Rossi's result in the wet at J🐭erez, when he rejoined after a fall, and is 'the best he can do' at the moment.

"Apart from that, the team and I are very happy, because it was a nice race and this, for💟 the time being, is the best we can do," said the seven time MotoGP champion. "I started well, I made up several positions, and then I was very consistent, with decent times. I practically did the same lap from qualifying for 💖28 laps, so it's a good result.

"My only disappointment is that fourth would have been my best finish with the Duca🍃ti.

"Anyw✱ay, another positive is that I'm physically well, as I'm missing just fifteen percent of my strength, but I think I'll be at 100 percent between Le Mans and Catalunya. As for the bike, there's certainly still work to do, but we're working together with the Ducati technicians.

"They're pleased with the data they have, an🦋d I'm seeing that what I get from the racing department works. It will take some time, but we're going forward.

"Tomorrow [Monday] we'll have some new things to try, so let's hope that it's dry,🦹 and we'll see how it goes. We don't expect to solve everything in seven hours, just to continue down the path we've started on together."

Rossi finished 16.555sec from victory and set the fifth fast🌌est race lap.

"Valentino had a good start and a nice race: we were very consistent with the times, and the gap to the front was reduced, which indicates that the work we're doing on the GP11 is going in the right direction," sai💛d team manager Vittoriano Guareschi.