At the start of the last Grand Prix of the 2020 MotoGP season, representatives of the six manufacturers involved in the premier category spoke to the press gathered virtually in Portimão.
In turn, everyone was able to take stock of their season before answering questions from journalists.
After Davide Brivio for Suzuki, Paolo Ciabatti took the floor, questioned as it should be on the three hot topics concerning Ducati at the end of this 2020 session: the break with Andrea Dovizioso, the non-presence of the Borgo Panigale riders at the top of the championship despite the absence of Marc Márquez and the difficulty of adapting the GP20 to the new Michelin rear tire…
Paolo ciabatti (Ducati Corse Sporting Director): “ I agree with the analysis that Davide (Brivio) just made. I think it's been an unusual season. We all remember where we were in March, when we were supposed to race in Qatar and Covid didn't allow us to race there and then there were doubts that there would be maybe no championship at all in 2020. So I think first of all it's a great thing that we are here and that we were able to do 14 races despite the difficult situation. I think we can be happy and proud of it. In our case, of course, you can think that because of the accident that Marc (Márquez) unfortunately suffered in the first race we could be one of the candidates to win the championship, since in previous years we have always was second behind Marc with Andrea Dovizioso, but for several reasons, the championship format, the consecutive races, a difficult adaptation of our bike to the new Michelin rear tire as well as the fact that the usual riding style with previous versions of our bike Didn't really work out well for some of our drivers, it all made things difficult for us. So overall, I would say we were competitive and fought for the podium almost every race, but always with a different driver. I think that with the exception of Aragon, we always fought for the podium with one of our riders, and we put five riders on the podium: all five riders under contract with Ducati got on the podium, including Zarco on the 2019 bike. And this is also why we are now close to Suzuki at the top of the championship, even though they have won more races and lead with the same number of points. »
« So on the one hand we are disappointed not to have been able to fight for the drivers' title. I think consistency played a big role for Suzuki and Joan Mir: They did a great job, so hats off! As I said, we haven't been consistent with all the drivers: different drivers in different races on the podium, but never with the same boys. »
Can we compare this season to that of 2016, where Michelin made its return to MotoGP and where we had to adapt to the new tires, and can this augur a 2021 season like the one you had in 2017? ?
« I think if you look at the results this year, there are a lot of drivers who were able to do great things in one race before falling back in the next races. So I think everyone had a difficult time adapting, because it depended on the track conditions, and in Ducati's case we struggled when the grip was low. So of course we also had difficult times but we obviously learned a lot this season. We learned a lot this season and I think we have some ideas for next year. Next year we will also turn the page because we will have new drivers joining the factory team, both from the Pramac Racing team. And of course, this weekend is emotional because we will say goodbye to Andrea (Dovizioso) and Danilo (Petrucci). Andrea will have been with us for eight years, Danilo for six years if we also count the four years spent in the Pramac Racing team. But anyway, we have to look ahead and I think we have some ideas to develop in the future and hopefully be very consistent next year at most of the races because that's the only way to fight for the championship. »
The new Michelin rear tire seems to fit some bikes better than others. What would you like from the French manufacturer?
« As you know, it is true that this year has been a little different because of what happened with Covid. It is true that, as usual, we had the tests in Malaysia and Qatar, but we probably could not continue the activities that were normally scheduled to develop with the new tire, so I think it is certain that in our case it was not easy to adapt our motorcycle to the new tire allocation. And of course, like all manufacturers, we have cooperated with Michelin to try to have something in the future that will probably be a little more, I wouldn't say better but I would say more stable in terms of possible performance with different conditions. . I think this is the area we want to work on together with Michelin, and it is likely that all the other manufacturers want to do the same thing. »
Suzuki is doing well with two riders and you have six: do you think you will limit the number of riders in the future?
« We currently have six riders but we've had eight before in MotoGP, so I think for Ducati, managing six riders is something we've been doing for many years and I think we're well organised. Collecting data from six riders helps us make better choices because with the system we have, all the Ducati engineers who manage the riders meet at the end of each day to share information and data. So we can collect data from six drivers and we will continue like this next year. As you know, we will have Pecco (Bagnaia) and Jack (Miller) in the factory team, as well as Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco at Pramac, and two rookies, Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini in the eSponsorama team. So it's quite exciting, and while of course we don't know if we can continue with six drivers in 2022, we are at the moment happy to continue like this because we think it gives us the opportunity not only to collect more information but also to evaluate young drivers who, possibly and as happened this year for next year, can move from the satellite team supported by the factory to the Factory team, or move up a notch like Zarco did this by moving from a satellite team to a factory-supported satellite team. »
Do you have any regrets regarding the relationship that took place between Ducati and Andrea Dovizioso?
« It is true that we celebrated many victories, together with Andrea Dovizioso. He is probably the longest-serving rider in Ducati's history in recent years, with eight consecutive years. We joined Ducati together at the beginning of 2013, and it is therefore an eight-year long story that we have written together in MotoGP. Winning 14 races, 14 Grands Prix, and finishing second in the championship three times in a row has definitely been a great job, and it's always sad when a relationship like that ends. I obviously think there are reasons for that, on both sides, but it's perhaps also true that after eight years together, there's probably a need to move on and try to make things right. things in a different way with new energy. So I think at the moment we're trying to conclude this relationship on Sunday with the best possible outcome and then obviously it will then perhaps be time to discuss in more detail the reasons that led to this decision, but as I said we cherish these eight years spent together and the results obtained, because obviously Andrea was the best rider after Casey Stoner, in terms of Grand Prix victory with Ducati, and that is something we will always remember. »
To be continued with Lin Jarvis…
Photo credits: MotoGP.com
