While four factories are running their motorcycles on a track in Misano which will be their training camp for three days, the drivers' market continues to be active. Thus, we know that Petrucci is now committed to KTM which means that Pol Espargaró should soon lift the veil on his connection with Honda. There he will find Marc Marquez who signed there for four years, but when his brother Alex was not contested… Meanwhile, at Ducati, revelations are made about negotiations and we even find out about the salary of the eight-time world champion…
It's a technique like any other: rather than talking about yourself, you divert attention by talking about others. At the house of Ducati, we may say that we do not understand all this agitation around a Andrea Dovizioso who can only renew his lease, we still wonder about what is going on there. Because DesmoDovi has actually not yet initialed anything while the shadow of Jorge Lorenzo would once again hover above the official box of the Borgo Panigale firm.
The sports director Paolo ciabatti therefore provides an update on the situation in its ranks. He first dismisses the subject Lorenzo swearing he hasn't heard of anything. Then he focuses on Andrea Dovizioso by recalling its asymptote options of zero: “ there are those who can have one of the best motorcycles and those who don't. We have it. And it is not true that Dovizioso is thinking of stopping."
He adds : " if Marquez did not exist, Dovi would have won three world titles, but obviously this is not a speech... It is not true, however, that we are conservative in our choices: we think that Miller, who has talent for sale, can make the jump in quality. And then we hope that Bagnaia will show what he is worth, and there is always Zarco ».
Certainly, but we still seem to be heading towards extensions in the negotiations with a Dovizioso who would now wait to do the first races of the year before deciding. Which seems strange because it’s as much a good opportunity to form an opinion as it is to take the risk of disappointing…
To break the deadlock, Paolo ciabatti returns to strategy Ducati about the drivers to better erase the feeling that the brand, in recent times, has seen the past...
Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Vinales, and Marc Marquez
Ducati has it lacked ambition and responsiveness in the driver market lately? Paolo ciabatti swear no. On fabio quartararo, He recalls : " Quartararo was a very difficult goal to achieve because he wanted to stay at Yamaha. At 20, it was a logical choice. His first goal was to have an official M1 this year, and he got it. Jarvis, in return, requested a signing over a two-year period. For Fabio, after all, staying on the bike with which he made his incredible and unexpected MotoGP debut was a priority. We must not forget that we are talking about a boy of twenty years old, even if he is mature. In three years, Quartararo will only be 24 years old! He will then be able to ask for what he wants and even change bikes.… In the meantime, he will be able to run with peace of mind, something he would not have had if he changed his plan ».
Et Casa Particular in Viñales ? " With him, things happened differently. He had the proposal directly from Japan which offered him the role of first pilot. After so many years in Rossi's shadow, this must have given him strong motivation, no doubt ».
Remains the case Marc Marquez. On which Paolo ciabatti lingers on GP One : " it's not true that we didn't contact him. The reality is that he immediately told us that his priority was to stay with Honda. And the Japanese have armored it with a figure which if it is not 20, is 15 million euros per year. There is not much that can be done economically against them ". A conclusion which shows that the time of golden bridges at Ducati is finished. In its time, the one built to cross Jorge Lorenzo was from 12 million euros over two years. There, it is true that Honda apparently set the bar very high, with 15 million, but on four years...
