The Ducati GP22 will be talked about from the first hours of a Qatar Grand Prix which will be played out politically behind the scenes as much as sportingly on the track. The fault lies with this front level corrector, brought by Gigi Dall'Igna's men who exhaust their counterparts in the competition to follow them on hitherto unknown technical terrain. However, if we don't listen carefully to Johann Zarco when he takes stock of his off-season, that's not where we should look for what makes the GP22 potentially a better bike than its already formidable predecessor...
It's not quite visible yet, but the GP22 has something in addition to its predecessor which should allow it to make a difference over its competitors this season. A year when Ducati does not envisage anything other than finally bringing home the drivers' trophy to double the stake since the one brought back in 2007 by Casey Stoner. The Red Army with its strength of eight machines gave itself the means to succeed. However, there is going to be this technical controversy.
A controversy to which the coat of arms of Borgo Panigale has been exposed since the affair of rear deflector in 2019. A not very pleasant episode but from which he emerged victorious. However, what if this is all just a misunderstanding? Because according to John Zarco, with regard to a certain efficiency found in the curves, a moment of historical weakness of Ducati, that’s not where you should look.
The Frenchman, who has never hidden that he is also aiming for the title in MotoGP since he thinks he has the same chances as the riders of the official team, given that in Pramac the bikes and the updates are the same as those of the Lenovo team, he says: “ there is a new engine to gain even more power and which remains the strong point of the Ducati. But now there is also a fairing which everyone agrees has helped make the bike more maneuverable and helps turn. What is our weak point on the Ducati ».
Johann Zarco: “ Yamaha and Suzuki are easier to ride«
He adds : " we are strong in braking and acceleration, in racing it is very advantageous, but when the tires wear out we start to have problems in the corners. So just for the fairing, playing with the air, something has already been gained. But the philosophy of the bike is not that of Yamaha or Suzuki, which are easier to ride. This is the beauty of the championship: everyone has their weapons to do their best ».
About the weapon Ducati, the test pilot Michele Pirro recalled the path traveled with Gigi Dall'Igna since the era Casey Stoner : " From Stoner's Ducati to today, I would say Ducati has changed a lot. Casey was the one who masked the bike's problems, overcame the difficulties, thanks to his extraordinary and immense talent. To date, the Ducati has become a motorcycle for everyone. We saw Pecco, Miller and Martin win, as well as Dovizioso, Petrucci and Lorenzo, but also with the podiums of Zarco and Bastianini ". And he concludes: “ in recent years Gigi has given a lot to the Ducati project and the results have been seen ».
