It starts with your word! And it begins Portimao. And it starts with a champion, Italian ‘peco’ Bagnaya, which everyone gives as their main favourite. As the only favourite. Everything else is conjecture… what if Fabio Quartaro (Yamaha) it may have solved your speed problems; Aprilia He’s taken the small step he missed in the final sprint of 2022, and he’s closing the lids. Alex Espargaro If Marc Márquez, with a better build and technical organization and an “all new” bike, puts in place everything that is missing from his Honda, which is too much… Last year, he did 12 of 20 races and the ‘Desmosedici’ GP23′ As soon as he puts his reputation on the track, he’s in better shape than before.
“Look, when you’re on the track, gritting your teeth and fighting for the lead, suddenly a Ducati passes you, five turns then another overtakes you, and when you’re done with the lap, a third Ducati passes you. It’s clear this bike is way better than the others,” says Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) Well, in what respect? It’s superior? As Marc Márquez admits, “they got the most complete bike in the package, in everything, and on top of that, with a very specific and efficient aerodynamic package.”
decisive aerodynamics
“If you want to have an atomic engine, you have to invest a huge amount of money,” he explains. carlo pernatValentino Rossi’s inventor and an executive who has been in the paddock for decades, said: “But if you invest money, not so much in aerodynamics, you’ll additionally get brutal advances that surprise your opponents and make your bike so much better effective. That’s a Ducati like no other. It was something he didn’t know how to do.
“From the first minute I used the bike at Sepang, the bike looked very successful to me,” Bagnaia says openly. “Maybe we have a little less speed, but this bike is much easier to ride. There was no grip in corners before and cornering is great now. I think we’ve learned from last year’s preseason mistakes, which were very incomplete and alarming, and this bike fits my riding perfectly from the very beginning. We’re the favourites, yes it’s ok but we have to show it on the track.”
“One thing is clear: every rider in a Ducati is fast, which means it’s the perfect bike.” luca marinaher brother Valentino Rossi. “Not only that, no,” adds the eldest of the Espargarós, “fast riders with different styles, different technicians, 2021, 2022 and 2023 bikes, different setups… crazy!, I insist. It’s a great bike.”
There are those who say and they are right, the technical team led by the infamous Gigi Dal’IgnaThe Japanese, always very Japanese, knew how to find the subtleties, tricks, “legal” covers of the latest technical regulation, while adapting to what the law defined. And they stopped. As noted Alberto PuigThe head of the Repsol Honda team was “more aggressive, braver, took more risks and had a better bike”.
“There’s something we must remember,” says the rookie brilliantly. Raul Fernandez (Aprilia)“Ducati works with four different teams, with motorcycles last year and this year, eight different riders, eight different engineers, and of course when the training is over, Dall’Ignia and his entire technical team have thousands and thousands of employees. data on how their motorcycles behave in each corner, because eight riders have passed it a thousand times. And the next day, this means that, of course, even on Saturday night everyone has an ideal order, a summary of everything discovered, analyzed and fitted to the motorcycle ».
wearing number 1
“Ugh, another world, of course, better for me, of course,” says the two-time champion Alex MarquezLeaving Honda to clinch the best Ducati, champion Bagnaia, namely 2022, “but if I do it well, hopefully they’ll give me this year’s.” And he laughs, showing his satisfaction with the change. “This Ducati is another story, it has nothing to do with Honda. It’s easy to drive and also won’t betray you. You didn’t understand why he did the things he did with Honda, there was a point of complete bewilderment, insanity. Everything is much more controlled with Ducati. The engine is also powerful, predictable and makes your life very, very easy.”
Bagnaia decided on this years later. (Casey Stoner, Ducati, 2012)The MotoGP grid will once again see the #1 bike in action. “This title deserves to be shown on the track,” says ‘Pecco’, which everyone sees repeating “something that only Valentino[Rossi]and Marc have done.” we made it (Marquez)».