Andrea Dovizioso feels trying to accurately gauge Honda’s൩ pace at the start of 2019 pre-season testing is impossible due to Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow retuജrning from their respective operations while Jorge Lorenzo is out injured.

The factory Ducati rider𒀰 says it is too early to predict any of the front-runners’ true pace following the first three-day pr𒀰e-season test at Sepang with the final day dominated by the Italian manufacturer in a top-four lockout.

Despite Ducati’s surge at the Malaysian track, Dovizioso has played down any clear advantage due to both circuit conditions unlikely to be representative of♈ race weekends wh🅠ile only one of Honda’s race riders was fully fit at Sepang.

Reigning Mot🐓oGP world champion Marquez is recovering from left shoulder surgery which limited his ability to push ܫto peak performance, while his new Repsol Honda team-mate Lorenzo missed the test with a fractured scaphoid.

LCR Honda’s Crutchlow was also returning from injury 👍at Sepang, making his first MotoGP appearance since his nasty ankle break s🐲uffered at Phillip Island last October. Aside from Honda test rider Stefan Bradl stepping in for Lorenzo, Takaaki Nakagami was the sole race rider 100% fit for the Sepang test.

“It is too early to understand,” Dovizioso said when asked to♛ asseꦚss Ducati’s rivals. “It was impossible to understand the Hondas as their riders are not in a good shape.

“I think the Yamaha൩ is a bit better and the two riders started a bit better than last year so I expect them a bit stronger than at the beginning. And Rins I think is fast, really fast, but it is too e𓆏arly.

“I am happy bec🦋ause we tried everything we wanted, this is really important, and we found really goo🦄d conditions. This is not the real conditions to the weekend, this is the only bad thing because we couldn’t ride the bike in the same conditions as the race.”

Dovizioso did tip Vinales’ pace for Yamaha as the best of the rest behind the to🅠p four Ducati riders but he remains confident the base setup of the Bologna-based squad remains a stron𓄧g package with its 2019 updates.

“The pace of Maverick was really fast and t🅰he track was faster than day two so it is difficult to compare pace with him,” he said. “But to finish with four Ducatis, young rider, old riders on top is good because it is another confirmation of our base and the base is good to make the lap time.

“We w❀orked very well with Danilo to make a long run an🐻d you see when you follow riders with used tyres how is their speed.”