When 2018 presentation of the Ducati troops, the speech was clear: this season, the two drivers will compete for the world title, in the greatest fairness and in the most perfect team spirit. The executives of the Corsican branch of the Reds swore that they did not fear any incident between two champions who respect each other. And that they would be careful to nip in the bud any misunderstanding that might arise. The first concrete case did not take long and it was Gigi Dall'Igna himself who immediately took charge of the development.
A rumor began to spread that the GP18 had been designed for Jorge Lorenzo. And therefore to the detriment of the now vice-world champion Andrea Dovizioso. A possibly corrosive theory that the Ducati general manager was quick to dismantle: “ This is obviously not true and it is stupid to think that this GP18 was specially designed for Lorenzo. It would be dangerous to destroy the balance we have achieved and which allowed us to fight for the championship in 2017. It is important ».
He continues on Tutomotoriweb : " the builder who is far from the mark can risk a lot, but it is quite the opposite if you are near the top. You can't risk everything. This is why the GP18 is quite close to the GP17. But with developments which are there and which will appear during the tests. But it's definitely not a bike made for Lorenzo ».
« Keep in mind that the drivers who flew the Desmosedici all pointed out the same qualities and the same faults. It's not like Lorenzo is asking for different things than Dovizioso. For both, the problems are identical. We worked for Andrea and Jorge to progress. Not so that only one of them improves ».
In 2017, Andrea Dovizioso won six victories and Lorenzo none, a first for the Mallorcan since 2005. The two pilots will enter into negotiations for the renewal of their contract, with the thorny subject of a leading pilot by his results last year who is paid ten times less than a five-time World Champion who finished seventh in the last championship…
