Ducati cannot look gloomy after the double Austrian impact since its hope Jorge Martin materialized in Styria for the first time shared in MotoGP with his Pramac team. The same then climbed on the third step of the podium in Austria on the identical Red Bull Ring, while the official of the Bagnaia brand was on the second. However, the good deal in the championship was the great rival and only hope Yamaha Quartararo who made it. Which leads sports director Paolo Ciabatti to a reflection that he had never formulated when it was not a pilot in a red suit who was leading the hunt for the French...
At the same time, Ducati had never really hidden that the big choices for the rest of the season would be made in the light of a situation rendered after the two Grands Prix at the start of the school year in Austria. And it turns out that it is bagnaia who is the brand's highest ranked driver in the championship. A position taken in favor of the man who was until then first in line with the Borgo Panigale coat of arms in the rise of the championship: Johann zarco.
In an interview at MotoGrandPrix.it, we feel that things have now evolved at Ducati. The sports director Ciabatta says thus: “ in the first Austrian race for the Styrian Grand Prix, Bagnaia could certainly fight for victory, unfortunately at the second start he did not find the same grip and he struggled, like others, including Marquez ».
Ducati announces team strategy
And then he adds this: “ now we will have to win races and put as many drivers as possible in front of Quartararo, to try to reduce the gap which is not very high, but not too small. Now there are still tracks where we can do well like Silverstone and Misano, where “Pecco” had a great race last year ».
The favorite is therefore bagnaia. And it is also a question of generation, because the same Ciabatta takes the opportunity to highlight its KTM war prize: George Martin : " It is clear that the progress of this boy and his driving style need to be studied in certain situations. I think that the new generation riders like Martin and “Pecco”, who are only a year apart, are able to interpret the bikes, especially ours, with a riding style that minimizes certain aspects, Martin in particular. It's nice and important to have him with us because not only is he strong, but by studying his data, others can also improve ».
Jack Miller, at 26, already seems too old, so imagine a zarco thirty years old… Ciabatta still has a word for his French, but for the particular case of a compulsory vaccination in case the Malaysia would be confirmed on the calendar: “ in the event that Malaysia only admits people vaccinated against covid-19 and in the event that some of our pilots have not been vaccinated, like Zarco, I think he will do it, as well as all the others people in the paddock. Obviously, while a technician or mechanic can be replaced without problem, the driver cannot skip a race ". To the wise...
