Ducati ended the last season in the euphoria of four victories in the last six races collected by Pecco Bagnaia who seemed to have taken on the costume of the natural leader. The Italian vice-world champion had even signed, before embarking on his 2022 campaign in Qatar, a new two-year lease, claiming that if it had been up to him, he would have opted for an indefinite contract. . Then the hostilities at Losail began and we know how it ended. Bagnaia was very bitter about the way he was allegedly forced to manage his weekend, so much so that he promised he would no longer do any more Grand Prix testing. The chill in relations was all the more felt as the sinking of the Red House near Doha left its mark on people's minds. Paolo Ciabatti talks about it before organizing for the next stage in Indonesia…
The victory ofEnea Bastianini au Qatar on a GP21 still brings balm to the hearts of the troops Ducati battered by this start to the season which remains a monumental official failure. At Losail, there was first this approval of three engine versions when it would have been logical to have only two, all against a backdrop of revolt from the five other manufacturers rising up against the trim corrector developed. An atmosphere which deeply annoyed the staff in red.
The backstage was thus agitated, but no consolation came from the ring. On the contrary: two abandonments, one of a technical nature for Jack Miller and the other on fall for one Pecco Bagnaia which also trained the Ducati Pramac of George Martin in his accident, convinced the Borgo Panigale staff that this Grand Prix of Qatar would definitely be forgotten. However, the statements of Pecco Bagnaia on the overall management of the weekend were remembered...
Davide Tardozzi first reacted by clearing his compatriot pilot and now it's Paolo Ciabatti to express his feelings. On GP One, he is understanding, but also quite clear on the fact that this type of comment will perhaps not pass twice... He begins his remarks with a reminder of the facts: “ we had a complicated weekend, scoring zero points is a very negative result for us. Jack had an electronic problem which we fixed and it won't happen again, but unfortunately he had to stop. Pecco, who was running very fast, also made a mistake involving Martin. We didn't bring the GP22 to its debut with the results we hoped for, obviously there are still some details to work out ».
So the winter tests weren't enough? “ The fact of not being able to drive continuously in stable conditions certainly did not help us to fine-tune a number of aspects of the bike that still need to be addressed. In Mandalika we found a very dirty track then the asphalt was crumbling. Despite Martin's pole position, performance in Qatar fell short of expectations ».
Paolo Ciabatti: “I understand Pecco Bagnaia’s point of view and we have drawn the consequences”
That's what it says. Then Ciabatta arrives on the case bagnaia : “The GP22 had some solutions that weren't fully sorted out and it's understandable that a rider, who hadn't touched the bike from a certain point of view since last year, managed to regain exceptional confidence with the whole package, had difficulty with certain solutions which made him lose a little sensation in the first day and a half of testing. I understand his point of view and we have drawn the necessary conclusions from it ».
On the organization, Ciabatta is clear : " the work was distributed among all GP22 drivers. In his case, as the goal is to fight for the title of world champion, trying solutions that did not give him confidence made him nervous ». Then he finishes: “ it is Dall'Igna who makes certain decisions, but I believe that the will is to meet his needs. We know that the driver's conviction of having the right package goes a long way, sometimes more than technical innovation. We understand Bagnaia and we will take into account what he told us ". It is now up to him to record what his employers have also declared.
