Ducati is taking responsibility for Qatar and the way they went about preparing for the race with Pecco. From what I've read, from testing all the way up until the race, Pecco was never on the same set-up for more than 2 sessions at a time.
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Ducati is taking responsibility for Qatar and the way they went about preparing for the race with Pecco. From what I've read, from testing all the way up until the race, Pecco was never on the same set-up for more than 2 sessions at a time.
Changing the engine late in the development of the bike probably had something to do with this. As long as he has made the right decision in that regard it is all on Ducati. The race being won on the 2021 bike suggests he was correct, although he himself took out the best rider on a non hybrid 2022 bike, not that Martin was going to win,.
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I don't know much about him but he has speed on worn tyres and/or is able to save the tyres well.
Going to be interesting to see how he goes but the potential certainly seems to be there.
Yes Marquez is the best we've seen, but is he still as good? The competition is getting stronger and more fast riders are coming. It is getting harder to be as dominant, it appears.
Quartararo finished 10.543 s behind. So almost the same speed as last year. Bastianini is on last years bike though. Yep, fast!
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I've always rated Aleix tbh. I *think* he has only ever been beaten by a teammate once when Vinales was on the Suzuki with him.
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Like many here, I don't put too much importance on who wins a Qatar. It's an indiosyncratic track. Others who obecessively track stats can qualify better, but my recollection is there are a lot of riders who've won the first race of the season and never gone on to win a championship. That goes in all classes.
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No it is one race and yeah MM aint done much there as one strong example. However I do recall him showing a bit of speed last year, late in the race, on a 2019 bike. We will see.
He has only won there once in the premier class in his totally dominant second year in the class in 2014 when he won 10 in a row starting with Qatar.
He has had 3rds and 4ths in title winning years previously, and his pace starting from the back of the field in 2020 culminated in him crashing out from second trying to make a point to FQ.
I am undismayed by him finishing 5th on a track which is not good for him after a limited preparation and after a fall in the warm up. He has ridden within himself to win a title with a bad shoulder previously and I think him riding conservatively when appropriate makes him a bigger threat. His hallmark has been to finish in the top 5, and often on the podium, when he doesn't win.
Admittedly only 4 bikes could win for a substantial period of his career, and there are far more bikes on the grid which can win on a given day and several fast young riders with he himself now some distance removed from his own teenage years. He will, like Rossi, no longer be able to dominate the field at some point, but I personally would not be betting against him for the title this year, especially on the evidence of one race at this particular track and given Pol's pace. I seriously doubt he will be an also ran at this point in time on a bike on which Pol has race winning pace, after being able to win races as recently as last year on a bike on which Pol was nowhere.
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Yeah not too worried about Marquez yet. Not much time on any bike lately let alone an all new one.
It is unusual for any teammate to be faster, though he is a fair way from back to his old self.
Bastianini I am interested to see how he goes. Speed late in the race on worn tyres has been shown a few times. He had a medium rear on here though.
It is unusual for any teammate to be faster, though he is a fair way from back to his old self.
Bastianini I am interested to see how he goes. Speed late in the race on worn tyres has been shown a few times. He had a medium rear on here though.
Anyone writing off Marquez does so at their own peril. Mandalika should be interesting, provided it's resurfaced properly and not kicking up debris. Yamaha's lack of top speed will not be as much of a problem IMO so Fabs & Frankie need to make some hay.
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I don't share your enthusiasm about Fabio. Yamaha really seem to have dropped back this yr.
Likewise, I think he knows the speed is in him and the bike and is just taking his time to get comfortable.
Are Gresini getting any updates? If not we could see Bastianinni fall back throughout the season.
Hopefully not.
Watched the race again fully conscious.. MM never seemed to push maximally, understandable at this track of all tracks on a limited preparation, and both he and Pol were on the wrong tires at the end of the race, so prudent not to try a late race push. Impressive pace for most of the race for Pol, MM himself says better than he had. Good rides by Bastianini and Binder who was closing at the end. I think Bastianini will be refusing upgrades at this stage.
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Too bad this didn't happen.
Didn’t have a GP 21 iirc last year and still had 2 podiums on a GP19, but might have been better off with the GP21 rather than on a GP22 at Qatar this year.
Still pretty good to beat MM on a Honda re-developed at great expense on a satellite Ducati riding his first race for the revamped Gresini team in the first race of the year, and Gresini’s first race with Ducati. A great memorial for Fausto as well. Hard to get better than that as was posted.
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Was Bastianini having issues or was he just managing his race and bringing it home? It got kind of close.
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sure it was a great feat, as I stated before. Just wasnt his debut in the premier class.
The GP21 is a great bike that was refined into the best bike of the second half of last season. We'll have to see how the balance shifts as the season progresses and the other bikes will get developed and the GP21 not.
Bastianini is quite the real deal, I am rating him highly since the smaller classes and his form since second half last season is really impressive. This year he might have hit the sweet spot bike- and team-wise. And given how Miller (under)performs this year, he might get the call for the factory team. But let's wait how the season goes.
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Actually according to Kropo - the current set-up is all 6 manufacturers have to agree to a change in tech regs, so unless Dorna finds some way to crush the MSMA - the other five manufacturers have to either pony up a front-end shapeshifter or suck it.
Yep. Some more details here.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/...s-dorna-versus-msma-showdown-on-shapeshifters
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