January 2016, Ducati decides that its bike has reached a level of competitiveness capable of attracting a Fantastic Four to fight for the rider's title. The offensive is on Jorge Lorenzo, since Gigi Dall'Igna has already worked with him at Derbi and Aprilia.
However, Maverick Viñales is also contacted. In case…
After a very good first year in MotoGP with Suzuki, everyone sees him as the future of the category.
A year later, and in view of the off-season tests, Trademarks asked Paolo Ciabatti, the sporting director of the Reds, to know if Ducati did not regret its choice…
Paolo ciabatti: " Absolutely not. It's clear that last year Maverick proved to be very fast already, just as he has since his time at Yamaha. We already knew that. Now he's shown to have a pace in simulation racing that's been impressive in the testing we've done this year. He didn't just surprise us, I think he did for everyone because he managed to be fast and consistent at the same time. How fast he was on a lap, we all knew that. But we are convinced that we made the right choice compared to Ducati, and we are happy with it.
It will be a very competitive world championship, because there are some very competitive bikes. Aprilia also showed that they have improved and are able to set good times with Aleix. We have one of the best teams. Yamaha and Honda are extremely strong teams. At Suzuki, Rins has an excellent test at Phillip Island. It will be a very interesting and difficult world championship, but the challenges do not scare us. »
The Ducati sporting director appreciates Lorenzo's determination: “It is clear that his objectives and ours are very ambitious. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made a choice like this. The fact that we have encountered more difficulties cannot please him or us. We all know the areas we need to work on. He is very motivated to work to improve these areas. He is a rider who gives 100% when the bike is good. Before, he prefers to work to resolve everything. The Qatar track, in principle, is quite favorable to the Ducati, we will see if we confirm the performance of the new bike on this track, but we are quite calm. »
In line with the latest statements from Ducati managers, Paolo Ciabatti believes that seizing the world crown seems more achievable in 2018: “What we said during the presentation is that the objective is not to win the World Championship this year, although we will try to be there to fight. The goal is to fight for the podium in every race. If this is so, normally we will fight for the championship. But as a project, we have more of a world view for 2018. This year, it should not be an obsession. Currently the goal is to improve the areas where we have not improved the bike. »
