The Ducati men did not hide their satisfaction at the end of the five days of tests carried out on a Losail track promised to host the first two Grands Prix of the 2021 season. Their official rider Jack Miller commanded the combined time sheet, their second resident Bagnaia was in the top 5 and Johann Zarco appeared to be the top speed record holder. Does this mean that the start of the MotoGP campaign will be red? Some opponents of the brand think so, but at Ducati, we see things differently...
How to assess the forces present after the off-season tests in Qatar ? A difficult operation, and it is not Mike leitner from home KTM who will say otherwise. The latter comments as follows: “ I believe that all manufacturers will be strong. As for Ducati, we know that they fought for victory in Doha for years and gained a lot there. Victory seems to go to Ducati. But you have to see if they can get away with the fuel during the race. Yamaha is also strong. Likewise, you should never underestimate Suzuki. Aprilia also set huge lap times. But Aleix is simply the artist of the only quick trick …”
Leitner continues: “ At the moment it is very difficult to say who will be considered the favorite during the season. I'm also curious if Marc Márquez will be there from the start. So far, no one knows exactly how the racing tires will perform after 22 laps of racing. This will be the key to success ».
Paolo ciabatti, the sports director of Ducati Corse is also modest in the face of the results of the Losail tests: “ we know that Qatar is a track that suits Ducati » he said to motogp.com. " I think we have a very good chance of getting a good result here. But we don't want to be too optimistic either. Testing is important, but we'll have to wait and see what the situation looks like when we return for the race », Comments the Italian cautiously.
But what are these racing parameters that could not be detected during the tests? First there is this one: “ we will have Moto2 and Moto3 rubber on the track. This could change the situation a little ". We will indeed recall that at Qatar, especially during the second test series, the conditions were ideal with all the rubber Michelin on the track. The drivers praised the grip conditions.
It should be different on race weekend, with the rubber residue Dunlop. But the sports director of Ducati precise. “ The situation is not new to us. We know we will have the rubber of the other classes on the tarmac for the race ».
Ducati is betting on its new fairing to resolve a major problem
Track conditions are one thing, but we will remember that in 2020, the Ducati suffered from a rear tire not offering the grip and behavior expected. Has the GP21 solved this problem? “ Last year was a complicated year for several reasons. Due to the pandemic we were unable to carry out most of the planned tests, the season was very concentrated. The conditions were therefore far from ideal to find the perfect configuration for the new tire »Says Ciabatta.
« We learned a lot and collected a lot of data ", said Ciabatta. " And I think we found a way to make the tire work on our motorcycle, through different solutions, the most obvious being aerodynamics ». Ducati therefore bet on its new fairing with side air inlets behind the front wheel. “ I hope our bike will perform well now on all tracks with different grip conditions "Concludes Ciabatta about this innovation.
However, what does not talk about Ciabatta, but what competitors expect is that Ducati be forced to reduce engine power for races due to the 22 liter fuel limit. So, it is Yamaha , which has always shone during the winter tests in Doha, which would be one to watch, even if the brand has not won in Qatar since 2017…
