The Ducati sports director praises Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia, but he is annoyed that Bagnaia has won more races but is still second in the World Cup.
Ducati is currently dominating MotoGP like no other brand. In the Thailand sprint, all eight drivers finished in the top eight. This has not happened since 1996, when eight Honda drivers finished in the top eight in Barcelona. Ducati has equaled this feat. However, sprints do not count for the official statistics.
“I think this year we are generally crowning the Ducati dream, far beyond the Lenovo team,”
“We are showing that we have worked well over the years. The staff in Bologna are doing a great job and I would say that our support for the satellite teams is of the highest quality. I can only say thank you to Ducati.”
“I think that we made some interesting strategic decisions after 2020 that have allowed Ducati to be the absolute leader it is now. It’s not just the technical side, but also the sporting vision of things and racing.”
“Ducati’s work goes far beyond the technical,” believes Tardozzi. ”This job was done from Gigi’s heart. He is a great racing boss. This harmony in the team and the expertise at Borgo Panigale can be seen on the track in recent years.”
For the first time, Ducati will occupy the first four places in the drivers’ championship. They have already won the manufacturers’ championship for the fifth time. The factory team is the team world champion. The best satellite team and the best satellite team driver also come from Ducati.
The big question is which driver will take the big crown. Francesco Bagnaia has won nine Grands Prix and six sprints. Jorge Martin has won three Grands Prix and six sprints. But Martin has a 17-point lead in the championship.
“What bothers me a bit,” says Tardozzi, “is that ‘Pecco’ won half of the races and is second in the championship. We have to think about that for the future. We made too many mistakes in the races. That can’t be the case in the future.”
“But it’s still important to have a driver who has won half of the races. ‘Pecco’ is making history. Right now, he’s outclassing a great driver like Casey Stoner. So thank you, ‘Pecco’!”
With pole position in Thailand, Bagnaia is now also the most successful Ducati rider in this statistic. The Italian has the chance to become world champion for the third time in a row. But Martin is a tough opponent.
Ducati has so far ruled out the idea of team orders. “It’s clear that we’re experiencing this fight in an honest way,” emphasizes Tardozzi. “We’re supporting Martin as much as we can. As his crew chief said, he’s got everything he needs compared to ‘Pecco’.”
“He also has the full support of Gigi Dall’Igna and the engineers. But just as I said last year, the world championship title should be given to both of them this year as well, because Jorge and ‘Pecco’ are putting on a great show.”
Statistics show that Martin has made fewer mistakes than Bagnaia. In addition, the Spaniard regularly takes podium places. Martin has been second in the Grand Prix nine times. Apart from his victories, Bagnaia has only taken one second and four third places.
“After he lost the world championship last year, Jorge understood very well that he needed help on the emotional side. I think he made a lot of mental progress last winter and he’s showing it.”
“It’s no coincidence that he’s leading the championship,” Tardozzi said of the Spaniard. ‘When it’s time to calm down, he does that too. Last year or in the past, he wouldn’t have done that. So, hats off to Martin.’
