Joined Oct 2015
2K Posts | 827+
Texas
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
I actually think Miller is going to have a struggle this season if he doesn't learn to manage the tires on the GP21. Don't know if the tire wear was Losail specific or is a looming issue for him regardless of the circuit. He tends to be very aggressive on the throttle early in corners, which isn't going to do him any favors with tire wear at other rounds.
Not sure getting rid of Dovizioso was a good move...but we'll never know how he would of gelled with the '21 bike. If he had gelled with it, everyone knows his tire conservation is phenomenal so I wonder if there was a missed opportunity there or not.
Not sure getting rid of Dovizioso was a good move...but we'll never know how he would of gelled with the '21 bike. If he had gelled with it, everyone knows his tire conservation is phenomenal so I wonder if there was a missed opportunity there or not.
Joined May 2019
607 Posts | 459+
Where I am.
I don't think so. They had a LOT of seasons with Dovi. Time for a change, IMO. See what Pecco and Jack can do.
Joined Jul 2009
103 Posts | 12+
Toronto
Ducatis were not going full power on the straights. Usually any gains made in the corners were always lost on the straights and you have to do it again.
What happened to Franco.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
Going with two unproven riders as it relates to bike development is generally not a wise decision. Same holds true in any motorsport however. Plenty of tales from F1 about what has happened when a top tier driver has had the opportunity to drive a midfield/backmarker car in a one-off...such as the time Alain Prost test drove the Ligier-Renault JS37 at Paul Ricard in pre-season 1992, and set a circuit record with the car. The team's drivers that season scored some points, but zero podiums. I've heard it claimed that Prost was well over a second faster than the contracted drivers and gave far better feedback than they did.
Now that's not to say Dovizioso is the GP equivalent of Prost or anything, but the larger point is that guys with as much development experience as Andrea Dovizioso are not easily replaceable as Yamaha found out with Jorge Lorenzo post-2016. Even though Vinales might have ridden the best race of his career yesterday, the jury is still out on whether this was a one-off instance specific to Losail, or if he can do this at other circuits. I always remember Jorge getting around Losail quite well on the M1 regardless of speed differentials on the main straight. So I will wait to see what he does once the circus gets to Europe.
Joined Feb 2017
584 Posts | 370+
Acadiana
Miller - the lead man in Ducati. Zarco - testing new parts for factory riders and tasked to help Miller to win the title. It is too early to tell, but Ducati may have it backwards. How often we have seen Miller fading during second half of the race. And it is still happening. Can't blame the tire endlessly.
Joined Jun 2007
3K Posts | 309+
UK
Joined Feb 2017
584 Posts | 370+
Acadiana
Yup, the same balls he lost when he started in Rossiland 2017 reappeared with Rossis departure.
Joined Jun 2007
3K Posts | 309+
UK
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
Joined Feb 2017
584 Posts | 370+
Acadiana
Short memory? Yamaha put Vinales under gag order to stop him complaining about unfair treatment. He was less than nobody at Yamaha, smiling happy chap was turned into sour loser - by his own team.
Joined Jul 2009
103 Posts | 12+
Toronto
Could be wrong that's what commentators were saying, I'm not in the garage. Something about conserving fuel, and they mentioned wind. Also they weren't doing what they did at the finish line throughout the race.
Yamaha only missed the podium in 2019 with Rossi being something like half a second away from the winner. I remember it because all we heard for 2 weeks was how .6 away from #1 is basically a win. But the Yamaha does seem to work well there. Vinales had his first yam win there in 2017 as well and looked awesome.
In the first few laps the Ducatis were flying past the others bikes and then midway through they were just keeping up and gaining no real advantage.
Last lap they did it again, just flew past.
I also think they dialed the bike back since they were not pulling away even with the straight advantage and were not getting left behind once dialed back.
Keep that fuel and power for the last group lap.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
I actually think Losail is a far better circuit for the M1 than anyone seems to recognize. Yes the main straight is long, and does favor high horsepower GP bikes obviously. However the rest of the circuit is perfectly suited to the M1's strengths of cornering speed. The thing I remember about the 2007 race there was that even though Rossi started flagging in pace in the second half of the race, while Stoner's GP7 annihilated him on the main straight, he was able to gain a lot of time back through braking and cornering throughout the rest of the lap before they pulled back out onto the straight. Easier said than done naturally, but if a rider is on the M1 at Losail, they have to get a cushion built up to negate the Ducati straight line speed. If that can be done, it makes winning the race a lot more possible. For ....'s sake, Jorge won at Mugello 5 times and Losail 3 times on the M1...both with long main straights.
Joined May 2019
607 Posts | 459+
Where I am.
Firstly, I didn't know Ducati particularly cared what riders thought about how they should develop their bikes. Additionally, Suzuki have been inexorably on the rise and managed a constructors and riders title last year with young riders.
I do feel Dovi had enough of a chance and his relationship with Ducati team management was strained, a typical feature of building frustration with many years of not quite achieving the ultimate goals with the final year being nowhere near the mark.
Losail has always been great for the M1's.
Agree with you on both contentions, and want to see how MV performs elsewhere before acclaiming him as a new rider.
Gigi may have been biased by a personal friendship with Jorge but seemed to think he was the more important rider for the development of the Ducati. Senior management at Ducati have pretty much always been toxic though, now not having particularly good relationships with the riders responsible for most of their gp wins and their only world title; certainly neither parted with Ducati after being lead rider on good terms, and Troy Bayliss their WSBK star was not enamored with the management of the GP racing side of things either.
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Joined Jul 2011
1K Posts | 872+
Dont Know
Yeah, but I was actually interested in what he said as it was. No need to dictate to people what is acceptable to post.
That Rossi ‘may’ have attempted to get in Vinales head. Seems more than reasonable, afterall isn’t he somewhat infamous for that.
Joined May 2019
607 Posts | 459+
Where I am.
https://www.autosport.com/motogp/ne...-allowing-vinales-to-focus-on-racing/5988802/
Vinales explains his upturn in performance.
Vinales explains his upturn in performance.
