The end of Qualifying 1 at the Aragon MotoGP saw a furious Andrea Dovizioso throw ꦅhis gloves across the Ducati garage before storming out in frustration.

The normally tranquil Italian, Ducati's best hope of winning the world title, had just been denied a place in Qualifying 1꧅ after towing his own team-mate Danilo Petrucci to the top of the timesheets.

In a reversal of normal team orders, Petrucci had followed Dovizioso throughout the 15-minute session, settin⛦g all three of his flying l🅰aps - before and after a pit stop - while tucked up behind the #4.

Many assumed that there was some sort of arrangement i🎃n place betweenಞ the Ducati riders, perhaps staying together and swapping places at some stage, so each could benefit from a tow down the 1km back straight.

But afterwards it emerged that nothing had been agreed and, while Dovizioso didn't want any help from his team-mate, he was liꦚvid that Petrucci deliberately singled him out for a tow.

Petrucci shadowed Dovizioso out of the pits at the start of qualifying. When Dovizioso then slowed and let Petrucci past, Petrucci mi🦹rrored the move shortly after so that he was back behind Dovizioso.

The pair remained in formation for ꧅two flying laps, Pet💟rucci setting a 1m 48.571s and Dovizioso a 1m 48.806s.

Dovizioso then pitted for a new tyre one lap before Petrucci, who rejoined (not by coincidence it seems) a few corners ahead of the #4, who was starting the first fly𒊎ing lap of his second run.

The triple title runner-up thꦐen passed Petrucci towards the end of that lap, with the #9 again tucking in behind him.

Dovizioso set a 1m 48.290s to move into second place🦋 behind Jack Miller, before continuing to push for a second flying lap, with Petrucci in tow.

That lap ended with a 1m 47.752s, but was pipped b♒y Petrucci's 1m 47.605s just behind him, putting the Ducati pair first and second.

Both then backed off, meaning Petrucci only did🍸 one flyinܫg lap during his second run. But while Petrucci remained fastest, Dovizioso then lost out to Miller by 0.015s, depriving him of a place in Qualifying 2 and meaning he will start just 13th on the grid.

"I went into🐻 qu🐼alifying with a good feeling. I did a really good lap time. I would have been able to be a bit faster in Q2. So I wanted to be on the first two rows and we couldn’t," Dovizioso said.

"I was disappointed because I don't think Danilo diꦅd the right thing. I mean he didn’t have the speed to be there and he followed me three times and he did his lap tꦍime behind me.

"We didn’t decide anything [beforehand]. We didn’t speak about it. Okay [being behind me for the first run♏] it's normal. But with the second tyre it happened again, the same.

"If you gain🦹 a tenth because you follow me three times this means you try to be in Q2 with my speed. And if I’m the only Ducati rider [able to win the title] and we have a good relation because I helped him with lot of things, it wasn’t a smart move.

"So I was angry about that."

Dovizioso underlined that he doesn't exp🍃ect any assistance 🎃from Petrucci, but doesn't want to be targeted either.

"I didn’t ask for any help," Dovizioso said. "He did a lap time behind me three times, because he didn’t have the speed. So without me h🥃e couldn’t be that fast.

"We don’t have to make an agreement. I think it's just to think🌠 in a smart way! I did my lap time and if you want to make a good lap time you will do [yourself]. But not against me and not making the lap time because you follow me.

"I think it’s stupid, i💞f we're thinking about the championship."

Dovizioso, who is 18 points behind title leader and Aragon pole qualifier Fabio Quartararo, said he 𓃲didn't blame Ducati for not intervening.

"I don’t think in this case it was a Ducati move. I think it was more to useꦆ your brain when you ride," he said. "I think Danilo’s quite a smart person - if I compare to a lot of riders! – but🍸 it didn’t happen today."

Dovizioso also rejected suggestions the incident shows Ducati should step in with some kind of team orders, given only he and maybe Jack Miller (-40 points) still have a realiꦺstic shot at the title.

The factory has certainly trieꦑd to use team orders to aid Dovizioso's title challenges in the past, although the 34-year-old made clear it was not something he had ever requested.

"I don’t think we have to make a strategy in Ducati. I think there are a lot of races to go an♔d every rider has to race in the way they want. I never asked, also when I could ask in the past with the rider of Ducati, that everyone knows, the Spanish rider!" Dovizioso said.

"But it's just to be smart, like in the situation of today. It's not about strategy for the championship. I'm not that kind of rider and I’m not angry because I need something like t𒆙hat from Ducati in this moment.

"In MotoGP it’s unuಌsual to see [team orders] strategy five races from end. So I'm not disappointed by that.🅠 To really fight for the championship in this moment I’m still against a minimum of three riders. But I’m struggling with speed, not strategy.

"As I explained before, what happened today, in this is🐽 case is not a Ducati situation."

Petrucci: I used Andrea like a target

Petrucci ad⛎mitted he had used Dovizioso 'like a target' during the Qualifying 1 session, as he continues to battle a relative lack of straight-line speed.

"I got no information or advice [from the team before the session], nothing, just do my best," said Petrucci, who eventually qualiꦺfied 🧔in eighth place.

"For sure I used Andrea like a targ𝓡et, but it's like in Barcelona and here since yesterday that I lose almost 5-8km/h on the straight, so I need a slipstream to not lose too much.

"I think we are free to race, it's a qualifying and I used all m♎y weapons to get into Qualifying 2.

"F🌜or sure we are struggling, in Le Mans I was not struggling and I didn't follow anyone, like in the past, but we haꩵve no team orders.

"I'm ꦓso sorry Andrea is out of Qualifying 2𓄧, but if not I'd have to answer the question why I am so slow.

"I'm racing for myself and I'm recovering from a bad first part of the season and I have to use all🍎🙈 of the chances I have."

Like Dovizioso, Pet♌rucci has won one race so far this season - but sits only tenth in the world championship, 51 points from Quartararo.

Both Petrucci and Dovizioso will leave Ducati at the end of this year.&nb📖sp;Petrucci will join Tech3 KTM while Dovizioso is yet to confirm his plans, but is tipped f♍or a testing role.

Miller: It’s every man for themselves in qualifying

Miller went on to qualif🃏y as the top Ducati rider at Aragon, in fifth place.

If their current 𓃲championship fortunes continue, Dovizioso and Miller look likely to emerge as Ducati's title fighꦯters heading into the final rounds.

But the Australian, currently 41 points from Quartararo, thinks it's too difficult to try and introduce any strategy ꦓfor qualifying to avoid today's Ducati vs Ducati situations.

"It’s Q1. You can’t really help anyone do anything. If it wasn’t u𒊎s, then Binder would have got through. If 🌊you play games like that you just get shot in the foot," Miller said. "In the race it's a bit different. But in qualifying it’s every man for themselves."