MotoGP, Pirro: “Ducati was unlucky in Qatar”

Ducati suffered in Qatar, we saw it for ourselves. The Lusail GP was won by a red bike, yes, but it was one with a blue tinge, or rather the Desmosedici so ably ridden by Enea Bastianini, a 2021 machine supplied to the independent Gresini team.

Factory riders Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller never reached the finish line, for one reason or another. Also present at the Lusail track was Michele Pirro, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer’s test rider. He had this to say: “Yes, it’s true, we can’t exactly say it went well, but bad luck also played a part".

The Italian continues: "Jack was going strong, having qualified fourth not far behind Jorge Martin on pole. But unfortunately, Miller had a problem in the race and was forced to retire. His performance was nevertheless interesting. Bagnaia on the other hand was catching up, but crashed. Pecco’s pace was in line with the quickest, but then he fell. That can happen when you’re pushing to make up ground and score the kind of result you know is within reach”.

Ducati MotoGP, incessant development

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Agreed, there was some bad luck involved. But Bagnaia’s complaints have not gone unnoticed. Pirro explains what happened: “Perhaps we’re a little behind with the development, but we’ve never stopped working on the Desmosedici".

Michele knows this better than anyone, as he’s directly involved in the MotoGP project: "There are a number of new parts, everything needs to be put together and in the right way. We’re doing that. We tested many things during the Sepang and Mandalika tests, although there’s still more to do. The 2022 package has greater potential than the previous one".

The engine used by the Lenovo Factory team is a talking point: "It’s definitely different”, continues number 51, “but not excessively so. The four-cylinder is an evolution of the unit used last year, so not too far from what we already knew".

Ducati seeks redemption in Indonesia

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Mandalika awaits, so will the (factory) Ducatis respond? Michele doesn’t give too much away but remains optimistic: “We should remember that the Qatar race was eleven seconds faster than those of 2021. The pace and level have increased once again. And we hadn’t tested there. Tests make the difference”.

Could Lombok island remedy some of Ducati’s troubles? "No troubles, we’ll get there, and soon. We’ve ridden at Mandalika, and have a good base on which to build. Ducati will be there and… let’s not forget that a Desmosedici won in Qatar".

Very true, although we would expect to see the factory bikes up front: "We’ll get there soon, you’ll see. Ducati is strong and the development work continues incessantly, as I’ve said. Useful data was collected at Mandalika with the 2022 Desmosedici, so we start in the best circumstances".

Translated by Heather Watson

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