Danilo Petrucci is predicting increased potential at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend for round three of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, a venue that doesn’t typically play into the Ducati’s strengths.

Finishing sixth at Argentina, the Italian ace has declared he’s targeting a more optimised approach in his race management, acknowledging a strong starting position will be key to truly benefit this weekend.

“I think our potential in Texas is higher than in the past, even though COTA is still a difficult track for us theoretically, as it features many tight, Formula 1 style corners and bumps that make it trickier to find the right setup,” Petrucci explained. ”

“However, in Argentina, another tough circuit for us, we reacted well despite the fact that our weekend didn’t begin in the most ideal way. In general, we struggle more than others under acceleration at high lean angles because of my weight, but we’re improving in terms of tyre consumption.

“I want to further optimise how I manage the race as well, and to this end it’ll be crucial to start further ahead on the grid. We’ll need to work hard to fight for the top five once again, but I’m confident.”

Petrucci is ranked fifth in the points standings as reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) sits atop the classification.