In 2020, Ducati seemed to be paralyzed by the arrival of a new Michelin rear tire which caused the Desmosedici to lose a lot of charm. From the first tests with the new rubber from the unique manufacturer, Andrea Dovizioso sounded the alarm. But between the technical choices made and the confinement limiting the tests and work, we had to go into the countryside like this, and we know the rest. Since then, Dovizioso and Petrucci have left and Ducati has one season's experience. Will the GP21 reconcile the Desmosedici with its rear tire?
This is a sensitive debate among Ducati who must explain his failure to understand the new rear tire without hurting himself or throwing stones at Michelin . Especially since other manufacturers have done better on the subject, some even finding the solution to all their problems. Gigi Dall'Igna, the general-in-chief of the MotoGP Red Army commented: “ the new tire was also better for us than the 2019 tire. But the fact is that we were able to better compensate for some of the problems of the 2019 tire ».
He adds : " the new tire was better and this allowed other manufacturers to take a bigger step forward than us. But the bottom line was that the new tire was a further development in terms of performance ».
Ducati says it has learned its lesson
So it's up to Ducati to find the solution. “ Each driver has a different style. 'Pecco' and Jack have a slightly different style. It is true that they could adapt quite well to the new Michelin tires », Specifies the boss of Ducati Corse. The first solution was therefore to replace the drivers. And the motorcycle? “ When grip was low, we had difficulty adapting to our riders' riding styles on a few occasions. » declares for his part Paolo ciabatti. " I think we learned a lot. This year we won't have the problems we had last year ».
We do not yet know what was found to make GP21 a more efficient machine than the GP20. But dukehe was able to work on his project again: “ Last year we had a limited testing program. Additionally, the calendar included races on the same track and four times there were three races in a row. This prevented us from working as usual. Therefore, in certain conditions there were problems with adaptation to the new rear tires », concludes the Ducati sporting director on Motorsport-total. See you in early March at Qatar to discover the fruit of this work Ducati.
