Andrea Dovizioso starting from second row was unable to get a good start and he finished the opening lap in seventh place, before latching onto the group made up of Iannone, Viñales, Rossi and Marquez. Dovizioso then had to slow his pace due to a lack of feeling with the front of his bike, and he was passed by Pol Espargarò, finishing the race in seventh place just a fraction behind the Spanish rider.
The final championship standings see Dovizioso in fifth place with 171 points.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 7th
“I’m a bit disappointed because I had hoped to finish the season fighting for the podium again, but I had a problem with the front from the first lap: the feeling with my bike was different to what it was in practice and I wasn’t able to brake the way I wanted. It was a pity because I really wanted to fight for the podium at Valencia, which has always been a tough track for me, and I think that today it could have been within reach. In any case finishing fifth overall was my aim, and if you think that I was eleventh at the fourth round, I have to be satisfied with our final place. I’m also happy to form part of the Ducati project for the next two years, because now we want to try and fight for something even more important.”