MotoGP, Paolo Ciabatti Ducati: “defeating Márquez in the last corner always makes us happier”

The epilogue of the Grand Prix Qatar will unfortunately not be played on a Losail track which saw Andrea Dovizioso cross the finish line first. 23 thousandths behind followed Marc Márquez who had just launched his last forces in a final attack into the final bend. But it is on an insipid green carpet after an opinion on a complaint from experts that the winner will be chosen. Still, the emotion under the checkered flag will never be erased. Paolo ciabatti, the sporting director of the Ducati team tells his story…

Some people did not fail to point out that the finale in Qatar was very similar to the one experienced in the same place a year earlier. The images do seem to confirm this approach; but in the stands, we experienced the event differently. Paolo ciabatti states thus: “ winning in Qatar, at the opening of the season and after an unsatisfactory test a few days before... This triumph is a great satisfaction, especially since we defeated Mágo into the last corner, which makes us even happier ».

That is clear. But before getting there, we had to work: “ Andrea arrived with doubts, but with his team he managed to develop a good strategy. He has very good relationships with the members of his team. They always find the best solution to each problem and work with great serenity. ».

Compared to the previous year, Paolo Ciabatti our a decisive difference. “ In 2018, Dovi rode without winglets and this allowed a higher top speed. But this time he flew with the “Aero fairing”. Due to the new rules, we had to homologate the winglets with the fairing because you can no longer dismantle anything depending on the circuit configuration. The maximum speed of our motorcycle was therefore compromised ».

With 352 km/h, Márquez was the fastest in the straight. Thanks to its new engine, Honda has caught up with Ducati. “ We know that Honda is constantly evolving and improving its motorcycles ", said Ciabatta on motorsport total. He ends on a Petrucci to the classification that we will qualify as suitable: “ the race confirmed that Danilo fit perfectly into this team and was doing a good job ».