MotoGP, Domenicali: “The GP22 wasn’t ready, but the riders have made mistakes too”

It could have been none other than Claudio Domenicali, the CEO of Ducati, to take centre stage during the presentation event for the 2022 edition of WDW, which promises to be a must for all ducatisti. Ducatisti who hope, among other things, to be able to celebrate one – or even two – world championships at the end of the year, despite the current MotoGP situation looking rather complicated.

“The classification doesn’t reflect the efforts we’ve made. Sure, we’ve made some mistakes as a manufacturer – explains Domenicali – given that the GP22 wasn’t ready at the start of the year, but the riders have too, for example Enea’s two crashes, especially when there are riders like Quartararo and Espargarò who haven’t made any mistakes yet. We’ve also had a good dose of bad luck, look at blameless Bagnaia at Barcelona, but the fact remains that we failed to score points at a round where the potential was very high”.

Might it be a problem to hold off on choosing Bagnaia’s team-mate?

“I don’t think so. Some say that contracts should be drawn up early to keep the riders calm, but the riders sometimes make mistakes anyway while, if you don’t sign and they make mistakes, you’re accused of having put pressure on them. We’re talking about professional riders, who race without thinking about anything else. Both Enea and Jorge are riders who we want with us in future, they are part of our plans, and we’re working towards this. I don’t think it’s the right time to make any definitive evaluations. Jorge underwent surgery this week, and the bike wasn’t ready at the start of the year. In any case, both will have the same opportunities, as the bikes will be identical. Whichever of the two does not end up on the factory team will have all the technical organization they need.”

Domenicali: “We want to choose the best for Petrucci”

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Will nationality or upcoming results have more of a bearing on the decision?

“We won’t decide in the next two races, and nationality doesn’t come into it. The results will count, so the sporting side”.

Let’s talk about SBK. Bautista is back to the levels of 2019, but now has more experience. What do you think?

“Alvaro is running some convincing races, proving to be both determined and aware. The championship is long though, and both Razgatlioglu and Rea are tough nuts. I’m very pleased that Bautista has immediately regained the right feeling aboard the V4R, confirming the bike’s competitiveness”.

Does Superbike await Petrucci?

“Danilo is part of our team, and we were sorry to lose him for a brief time. We haven’t defined our 2023 programme yet, but we’re in contact with him and his manager, to understand what the best solution might be”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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