It is a trial that is being made against Ducati which raises questions about the good faith of detractors when it does not go so far as to question their ability to understand their environment. It consists of camouflaging the blatant proof of their failure against a strong opponent in a sort of scandal to see so many of their bikes on the starting grid. However, the paddock is a free market in which each team can spend its money to purchase the machine that guarantees the best result with the most efficient management. A request to which only Ducati was able to respond, because in addition to whining, the detractors are incapable of offering private teams their own product. Furthermore, we must also recall recent history to definitively convince ourselves that it takes a certain nerve to bring it back to the subject, and Ducati man Paolo Ciabatti did not hesitate to do so with that of Aprilia, Massimo Rivola…
The 2023 MotoGP season will begin this weekend with the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao, but it's already happening behind the scenes since it's now clear that Ducati has everything it takes to usher in an era of domination in MotoGP, until at least the new regulations expected to be applied in 2027. And if some find this regrettable or too long, Paolo ciabatti, the sporting director of the Borgo Panigale brand, nevertheless recalls this: “ I respected the opinions of different people » he said on speedweek, who are " but we remember the moments of the 500cc World Championship where Suzuki, Yamaha or Honda dominated, when Eddie Lawson, for example, won four titles and Mick Doohan even five titles in a row. Well that was the past ».
He puts into perspective that there have always been cycles in this competition: “ there are always phases in motorsport in which one brand dominates a certain series of races. I only remember the Supersport World Championship, which in recent years corresponded to a Yamaha Cup with the R6 ", precise Ciabatta which is already taking the lead on the criticisms which are sure to also come from this category where, now, Ducati wins with the Panigale V2. But this general reminder made, it is then on Massimo rivola, general-in-chief ofaprilia-racing let him concentrate his fire. A Noale brand which we must not forget that it equipped up to 18 or more drivers in the 125 and 250 cc two-stroke world championship classes, before being taken over by the Piaggio group...
Paolo Ciabatti: “ before criticizing the system you should make an offer to the teams«
Un Rivola coming from Formula 1 and who would like to reproduce in MotoGP the equitable workforce between the manufacturers involved with provisions limiting the choices that a private team can make to participate in the competition... " Can you force a team to change manufacturers and possibly spend more money than your budget allows? I'm not convinced by this idea » how Ciabatti who however politely adds: “ but I understand Rivola's opinion, I understand his words ».
That being said, the reality in MotoGP is this: “ I'm sure if another manufacturer has a bike as competitive as Ducati and offers it at a reasonable price, then one of our teams could choose that manufacturer. Perhaps then they would hope for more attention. But for now, market forces have led to this situation. Sometimes you really need to give teams the freedom to make decisions », explains the manager of Ducati. " I don't know if it would be fair to force a MotoGP team to move to another manufacturer ».
And even then, it would be unachievable, since those who criticize the current position of Ducati would be unable to change it due to lack of means and investment in the MotoGP category… “ Eight pilots is a lot. So I suspect that number will eventually go down. But is Aprilia ready to equip a third team at the moment? I doubt. Before criticizing the system, you should make an offer to the teams. There are currently no Yamaha customer teams. Because she was captured by Aprilia. This is accepted because they probably made a better offer in terms of package competitiveness, price and contract duration. But before you get a satellite team, you have to prove that you can win and compete for the top 5. If you then charge a reasonable leasing fee, you as a manufacturer become a very valuable and attractive alternative for a customer team. But if your bike is not competitive and you charge a lot of money… ". QED.
