After five Grands Prix, and therefore ten races since the advent of the new format, Ducati can look at the rest of the events with a certain serenity. At least that's what emerges from reading the provisional general classification of the championship where there are no less than five drivers from the Borgo Panigale brand in the top 6. Who is the intruder? This is Brad Binder on a KTM. A driver and a motorcycle which are not taken lightly if we listen carefully to the sporting director of the red tunics Paolo Ciabatti…
We are not far from the perfect result at Ducati after five meetings completed in this 2023 MotoGP season. However, we can also have different readings of the provisional hierarchy established before the next Italian Grand Prix which will take place in Mugello from June 9 to 11. The most global which concerns Ducati puts the brand in a certain serenity. But if we detail, we see that a fratricidal duel began between Pecco Bagnaia et Marco Bezzecchi under the eager and stingy eye of the third who is Brad Binder, riding a KTM never seen in such form since the start of the RC16 project in MotoGP.
We must therefore remain cautious, especially with a leader Pecco Bagnaia who fell on three occasions in five Grands Prix and who owes his leading position to the points collected during the new Sprint races. Otherwise, the situation would be to the advantage of the private pilot Marco Bezzecchi. But there too, there are different interpretations… And that of Paolo ciabatti is the following : " Bagnaia was the only driver to be consistently at the top of all races. Of course, he crashed three times in Argentina, Texas and France while fighting for victory ».
Paolo Ciabatti Ducati: “ Brad Binder has title chances »
But… : " the other drivers did not have the same consistency as Pecco. That's why we expect a tough fight for the world championship. And current world champion Bagnaia showed that he is the only driver capable of always being in the top three – in all conditions ».
This is a version that will have to be kept in mind if the threat of Agent Orange becomes stronger during the season... A scenario taken very seriously by the same Ciabatta : " the level of competitiveness has become even higher. We have all seen that KTM has reached a very high level ". And clearly, it is not, for the moment, its former pilot Jack Miller, now on the RC16 that he openly fears, but his teammate: “ Brad Binder has title chances », assures Paolo Ciabatti on speedweek.
« He's fast, he's aggressive. I'm not really surprised by its performance. He has already shown in the past that he can be very fast. But perhaps he lacked consistency when it came to top results. But now it seems that KTM has done a very good job. Brad is third in the world championship, and it's no coincidence » he concludes. We will therefore have to remain vigilant, mobilized, and perhaps one day disciplined...
