Casey Stoner had an outing on his former team Ducati which was enough to upset fans as attached to the brand as to the retired Australian rider. Ducati enjoyed remarkable dominance in motorcycle racing last season, with three Ducati riders leading the MotoGP standings. The Bologna manufacturer has also achieved great success in the Superbike World Championship and the Supersport World Championship. Factory rider Francesco Bagnaia successfully defended his MotoGP title, and Ducati was already recognized as the constructors' world champion several weekends before the end of the season. Yes, but for Casey Stoner, all is not rosy among the redcoats.
Casey Stoner, former factory driver Ducati, thus criticized the team for its dominant position due to the high number of Desmosedici drivers on the field. He is convinced that Ducati gives behind-the-scenes instructions and imposes team order on client teams. Stoner believes this is not correct and questions the fairness of the competition…
« I don't agree with the fact that they have so many motorcycles on the ground. They can control virtually any team and demand the results they want, which is not okay ", complains the former Ducati factory rider to The Gazzetta. He even adds: “ I lost respect when they reached this level. They want to win at all costs and that makes no sense to me ».
Still, it's important to note that there was no obvious team order in previous seasons. In 2022, for example, the Gresini driver Enea Bastianini risked causing his teammate to lose points Francis Bagnaia in the fight for the world championship against the Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo. Also in 2023 there was an open battle between the Ducati riders, with Jorge Martin having a chance to win the title until the last race.
Casey Stoner: “ I don't like at all the way it happened between Filippo Preziosi and Ducati »
Regarding the work of Luigi Dall'Igna, general manager of Ducati Corse, Stoner recognizes that Ducati currently has the best motorcycle in the field thanks to his work. However, he believes that Filippo Preziosi, who headed Ducati's racing department from 1994 to 2012, was at least his equal. Stoner also criticizes the way Ducati handled the departure of Precious, saying it was a major mistake to have let him go. “ I don't like the way this happened at all » he admits.
The double World Champion with Ducati et Honda also remembers his time in the red tunic, where the team had fewer resources and where Precious had to improvise. “ When I worked with him, we never received new pieces throughout the season. We still had the same package. If we had a problem, we had to find a solution ».
Casey Stoner recalls testing the bike for the following season in the middle of the current season, seeing significant improvements. However, he mentions that there was not enough budget to build more chassis: “ In the middle of the season we tried the bike for the following season. In the first tests we still saw improvements and I wanted to ride the bike for the rest of the season. It was clear to me that with her we would be half a second to a second faster per lap. But there wasn't enough budget to build more chassis ».
Finally, Casey Stoner recognizes the good work of Gigi Dall'Igna, but believes that it took time and a large budget to achieve the current successes of Ducati. It will be recalled that, despite its historic success with Ducati in 2007, Stoner no longer has any connection with the team.
