Marco Rigamonti is a chief mechanic who was transferred by Ducati from the Pramac team where he worked alongside Johann Zarco to the factory team to support the efforts of new recruit Enea Bastianini. A promotion, certainly, but one that circumstances dictated since “Bestia” had to settle among the red tunics with Alberto Giribuola who, at the last moment, chose to branch off in the direction of KTM. The two men therefore start from zero, a blank page which starts from their relationship with that of their environment. It will therefore not be easy and the offseason tests have confirmed the trend. Now all that remains is to make the season. And the Italian fears for his foal in a very specific situation…
Mark Rigamonti analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of a Enea Bastianini that he will help with all his great skills to make his 2023 MotoGP season an even more beautiful campaign than that of 2022, enhanced by four victories. But before focusing on sport, the Italian focused on people: “ he always likes to eat with us, he wants to create the group, a very positive aspect » he begins before specifying that, for there to be a good understanding, there must be an essential key factor which is not the dish of the day: “ we will see how the championship begins and if the results come. Unfortunately, these are fundamental in creating the relationship between team leader and driver. Although the way of working is the same whether you win or finish last, what matters in the end is always the result you bring home ».
However, he adds: “ afterwards, there may be cases of pilots with whom you manage to create a good relationship regardless of the results, but that's always the important thing. In the case of Enea it will be essential to see how he handles the pressure : if last year, without any pressure or expectations, he managed to win four races and finish second in two others, in the Gresini team, now he is at the factory. We have to see how he will behave ».
Marco Rigamonti: “for me it is more profitable to have two roosters in the henhouse"
An attitude which, paradoxically, should not necessarily be marked by a fratricidal duel with Pecco Bagnaia : " In my opinion, if a driver has a teammate who can challenge him, he is encouraged to do better. If, for example, you arrive at a track and the weekend starts badly, there are two options for the team: either it's the bike or it's the rider. If you have two advanced drivers, you can immediately understand where the problem comes from. For me it is more profitable to have two roosters in the henhouse. In other cases, due to lack of resources, we focus only on a pilot: more attention is paid to his needs, but there are also fewer terms of comparison ».
But what worries the chief mechanic the most is indeed the new format of the Grands Prix, which annihilates the primary quality of its driver. He explains about slick-magazine : " he will have to change his approach: many of his victories are the result of a comeback, but it will no longer be possible to rely on an adjustment of the bike which bears fruit in the last laps of the race. On the contrary, it may be necessary to be more daring by sacrificing a little in the final part. As a novelty in itself, this does not bother me, but I am afraid that this format will penalize my pilot he concludes.
