Factory Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso is still over the moon with his new GP15 and believes he will be able to fight for the podium again at Austin but is looking for a little extra stability under brakes.

The Italian said the Desmosedici is a little quicker than the Honda and Yamaha but some tweaks to the brakes and a little more corner exit grip will stand him in good stead in Texas.

“We need to improve the stability on the brakes because I can’t brake where I want, so we have to improve a little bit there. The grip in the traction area compared to the Yamaha wasn’t the same as them but that is a very small thing,” said Dovizioso, speaking at Austin.

“It is really important for me to improve that point for my style. Already I am fast because the bike is really good. I couldn’t fight with Valentino because I couldn’t stop the bike very well. Is not a big thing but important for the race.

“You know when you have a good feeling with the bike you can do much better than you expect, you can do what you want with the line, with the strategy in the race. Now it is just about the bike over the weekend.

“We know the small things now where we need to work as it is the small things that make a difference in the race, not in the practice.

“I didn’t check the top speed compared to last year but it is more than our competitor. Sure, the exit of the corner is more controllable and better, but also the power is a little more but feels the same.”

Dovizioso also said the two litres less fuel he has this weekend is nothing to worry about.