The scenario and the verdict of the Qatar Grand Prix, the first race of the season, appealed to more than one, particularly among Ducati fans of which Carlos Checa is an eminent member. The 2011 WSBK World Champion for this brand which has not been crowned since in the category, notes with satisfaction that a Desmosedici concluded the meeting with a victory. But it wasn't red. Moreover, no factory GP22 was at the finish. A situation that the Spaniard clearly assesses as “abnormal”.
Carlos Checa remains an informed observer of the Grands Prix and he knows the house well Ducati for being one of his heroes. Precisely, with this experience, he does not quite understand, like many, how the officials in red came to sink like this during the first Grand Prix of the season at the Qatar. A disappointment and a disbelief which does not push him to indulgence… “ Ducati hasn't taken a step forward yet » said the Spaniard. “ There are probably small changes that should have looked better on paper, but maybe they didn't have time to fix them. They will have to work to find the modification that allows them to benefit from this development which has not been good for the moment ».
In fact, his expectations were disappointed: “ I didn't expect a departure like this. I expected Bagnaia and Miller at a higher level and a better start for Ducati » said Checa on Moto sprint. Now, the Borgo Panigale builder will have to understand what went wrong to immediately get back in the right direction: “ Ducati will find a way to further exploit the potential of the bike, because it is not normal, no offense to some, for an independent team to be in front of the factory. Riders don't have the confidence they had with the previous bike » …And who is the oneEnea Bastinini placed on the highest step of the podium.
Carlos Checa: “the Ducati was not the most interesting bike in this first race”
« I am very happy for what it means for the Gresini team, for his memory, winning this race was a tribute to Fausto and it was a lot » also comments Carlos Checa. " Qatar is special, but the opponents have multiplied. Ducati was not the most interesting bike in this first race. Although it continues to be one of the best motorcycles and Bastianini proved it ».
Factory Ducati will be called to repurchase immediately, in Indonesia, but nothing will be more complicated because everything will still be discovered, despite three days of testing during the off-season: “ during the test, the asphalt was not in place and it was dirty. This time they're going to find new asphalt, so the test reference is no longer valid » says Check out which does not mention the fact that Michelin will not a priori bring the rubbers initially planned and tested…
« After this first race everyone will have come to conclusions to make changes, especially those that fell short of expectations. The track is very different. Maybe the engine won't matter that much, maybe Yamaha will have more possibilities. It will be a very different race and we hope that the level of the track will be in good conditions for this Grand Prix " finished Carlos Checa.
