MotoGP, Qatar, LCR Honda: boss Cecchinello explains the secret of the new Honda engine and congratulates Ducati's work

This first Grand Prix of the year Qatar will have been made of lots of stories. That of the victory of Dovizioso in front of Márquez, of a Crutchlow coming back from afar and on the podium, of a Honda engine in great shape standing up to that of Ducati, of the claim of four builders against the Borgo Panigale firm… The list is not exhaustive. Especially since the boss of the LCR Honda team still brings a few episodes which escaped the spotlight of this meeting in Losail…

Lucio Cecchinello is a happy and relieved boss after a Qatar Grand Prix which did not look the best. Its pilot Crutchlow with a convalescent ankle had passed winter tests to no avail on a Losail track which did not please him any more during the test sessions at the official meeting. The warm-up session had confirmed the cold snap. But the race was warm, offering the podium.

However, this ordeal was a headache for the protagonists. Because of tire wear management that everyone has talked about endlessly? Certainly, but not only that. Another concern was current… “ Nobody talked about the main problem, which was fuel consumption " found Lucio Cecchinello. “ We had to use depleted injection maps, just to try to get to the end of the race. Qatar is a very fast circuit. If the drivers had been slower than 1'55, they would not have finished the race. The engineers therefore produced very detailed maps, with poorly performing motorcycles which penalized performance. Then, no one wanted to stay in the lead and pull the peloton, because they knew they could find themselves in difficulty at the end of the race. Dovizioso and Márquez knew it, so they didn't always push to the maximum ».

Interesting. That being said, this first stage of the year has shown that the new Honda engine is in great shape. The same Cecchinello tells us the secret: “ Honda modified the chassis to create a direct air duct, which significantly changed the entire steering column » he explains to Paddock TV. " There is more pressure in the air box, the engine breathes better and is more powerful. But the chassis does not have the same characteristics as last year. Cal has little feeling with the front ».

Air flows are therefore important, and they have even become a subject of contention between manufacturers. Yamaha aside, they clash over a shoe placed on the Ducati's swingarm, just in front of the rear tire. The Italian comments: “ Ducati has achieved a masterpiece in the interpretation of the regulations. We are not talking about the fairing but about this annex, which is not an integral part of the fairing. It is completely regular for them... These annexes certainly have an aerodynamic function which probably serves to improve support at the rear. How the question will be resolved, we do not know, but at Ducati they have interpreted the regulations very well. HRC and other manufacturers have always underestimated the aerodynamic aspect, while Ducati is starting a new era. Hats off to Ducati ».

The decision of the federal authorities concerning the Ducati device is expected before the Argentine Grand Prix which will take place at the end of the month. Meanwhile, the rankings for the Qatar Grand Prix are unofficial…