The Ducati Red Army arrived in Assen with its head down after a bitter disappointment experienced the previous weekend in the Sachsenring plain. His favorite Pecco Bagnaia took a suitcase allowing the championship leader and defending champion Fabio Quartararo to drop out of the general classification. But the rebound of a Dutch Grand Prix which saw the Frenchman trip over his feet showed that this season was not yet a good one to throw in the basket for the brand whose executives have regained momentum. the beast. Thus, Paolo Ciabatti recalls that, for the Yamaha rider, the matter is not yet in the bag.
It was what was needed Ducati to go on summer vacation with a winning morale preserved until the start of the school year. At the Dutch Grand Prix, Pecco Bagnaia came to fruition and got back in the saddle all the better as fabio quartararo fell from his. The Italian completed on Sunday at Assen a work started the previous days with the track record and pole position. “ Pecco won fantastically, Quartararo crashed, leaving with zero points: lThe gap with the Frenchman is now 66 points, before Assen it was 91, in any case there are many but it can be done » rejoiced the sports director in a red tunic Paolo ciabatti taking stock of the Batavian escapade.
Hope is the last to die and Ciabatta highlighted : " we will consider the championship closed only when we no longer have the arithmetic possibility of fighting for victory » said the Italian. “ The Bagnaia crashes in Spain and Germany weighed heavily, also because we were competitive on all the circuits. We had some problems during the first races of the season due to a certain lack of youth of the new bike, but there are nine races left and a lot of points left, the championship is still open ».
Paolo Ciabatti: “ consistency is what counts today«
He adds : " Bagnaia is a very talented driver, but he is also a boy with a capacity for introspection and self-criticism, characteristics that led him to find the strength to start winning again with the team. The accident between Quartararo and Aleix Espargaró clearly made things easier, but Pecco managed the race very well, finishing ahead of Bezzecchi, who was the other good surprise of this weekend ».
In the last six races, Francesco Bagnaia alternated two results: victory or fall. The Piedmontese needs perseverance to really fight for the title against fabio quartararo et Aleix Espargarò. " I think consistency is what counts today », also specified the same Paolo ciabatti during a press conference in Assen. “ If you look at the standings, and if you look at Fabio and Aleix, they add points in all the Grands Prix, they are among the few who have not made zero and are doing an incredible job ».
As a team, there is no comparison, a spearhead is missing, and the numbers speak for themselves: “ We have won six races out of eleven, we have been on pole eight times out of eleven races, there is always a Ducati on the front row, always a Ducati on the podium and we are leading the constructors' championship " remember Ciabatta. A domination that we do not dramatically see at all in MotoGP in the drivers’ championship standings…
