Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco respond to Pol Espargaro’s “unfair” accusations towards Michelin and a possible Ducati advantage because of it
The rear tyres brought by MotoGP tyre supplier Michelin for the 2022 Indonesian Grand Prix in Mandalika are causing problems for some manufacturers in the field. Others, however, are coping better with the tyres, which are of 2018 construction.
Honda factory rider Pol Espargaro reacted in a loaded manner on Saturday, calling Michelin’s behaviour “unfair” and depriving Honda of their hard work over the winter. Whereas Espargaro had been fastest on the 2022 tyres at the Mandalika test in February, he finished Saturday’s qualifying session only 16th on the 2018 tyres. Ducati factory rider Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia won’t let Espargaro’s accusations towards Michelin stand like that.
“I don’t know why he says something like that. Sure, it’s a different tyre. It offers less grip than the one used in the test,” says Bagnaia. However, at least the Ducati factory rider does not necessarily see the reason for all eight Ducati riders being ahead of the two Honda factory riders on the grid in the tyres.
“I can only speak for myself,” said Bagnaia, “and say that during the test I tried everything possible to understand everything. Now that I am really concentrating on just riding, I feel more comfortable on the bike. Whether that’s because of the tyre, I don’t know. With the other tyre I was even faster than today. And [Espargaro] was even the fastest in FT1. “
Meanwhile, Pramac Ducati rider Johann Zarco, who was on the front row of the grid just like his teammate Jorge Martin, admits: “The rear tyre with the different casing maybe bothers us less than it bothers the other manufacturers. That could be a reason why we get along better. It is difficult to say. Maybe it’s the new asphalt, which offers good grip. But maybe it’s also the tyre. “
Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco on front row of grid
How did the Ducati riders fare in detail on Saturday? “Qualifying was not so easy. It was hotter than I thought and I had problems with the front tyre,” remarked Jorge Martin, who almost crashed in turn 1 on his fastest lap in Q2
“After that moment,” said Martin, “I briefly thought about whether I should keep attacking or abandon the lap. I decided to keep pushing. And although the front wheel also slipped off me in turn 16, I still managed to finish the lap reasonably well. “
In the end Martin, who had taken pole at the season opener in Qatar, was 0.213s off defending champion Fabio Quartararo, who made it back to pole for the first time on his Yamaha since June 2001.
Whether it would have been enough for Martin to win pole without his two seconds of shock, he neither wants to confirm nor deny. He only says: “Second place on the grid is good. The goal was the front row. We achieved that. I didn’t think about pole. Maybe it could have been closer. Anyway, I’m happy and I think I can keep up with the fastest tomorrow. “
Martin’s teammate Johann Zarco was just under a tenth of a second slower in Q2 and will start the race from third on the grid. The Frenchman is also happy, as he crashed through no fault of his own in the last free practice session before qualifying, the FT4 with race set-up.
I guess I got on Rins’ oil,” Zarco refers to the scene when the engine of Alex Rins’ Suzuki flared up at the beginning of FT4. Zarco’s crash happened at turn 11, while Rins still dragged his burning Suzuki to turn 13, where he literally threw it away.
“I was lucky there was a red flag,” notes Zarco, who thus had enough time to return to the pits and resume practice straight afterwards. “Then the final phase in FT4 was really good because I could also try the harder tyre compound. They worked well and could be a good option for me should it be very hot in the race. “
Enea Bastianini and “Pecco” Bagnaia in row two
Two Ducati riders will also be on the second row of the grid on Sunday. World Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini-Ducati) starts from P5. “Pecco” Bagnaia, the best-placed Ducati factory rider in qualifying, will start from P6, having made it into Q2 with the best time in Q1.
Bastianini, who won the season opener in Qatar and therefore leads the overall standings, is a little annoyed about his fifth starting position: “I thought the first row of the grid would have been possible. But second is also good. It will be important to make a good start tomorrow. In terms of pace, I don’t think we’re too badly placed with the Ducati. “
And Bagnaia, who was only 0.003 seconds slower on his GP22 than Bastianini on the GP21, has an explanation: “I needed a time attack today first of all. Yesterday I couldn’t set one, this morning the track was wet. So I had to ride four time attacks in a row in FT4, Q1 and Q2 today. That’s not easy. “
Telling ‘MotoGP.com’, Bagnaia added: “My last lap in Q2 was not bad, but in turn 11 my rear wheel slipped. All in all I am happy because the feeling is good. We just have to watch the rear tyre.”
Apart from the tyre, Bagnaia, just like Bastianini, sees the key to a good race result not least in a good start. This is exactly what the Ducati riders failed to do at the season opener in Qatar – with the exception of Bastianini. However, Bagnaia does not want to talk about a possible victory.
“Victory is too high a goal for us at the moment. We have had a difficult Qatar weekend. It is true that we have made a step forward here and also my feeling is getting better from lap to lap. But for a win we need a bit more. If I can finish in the top five in the race, then I’ll be happy,” said Bagnaia.
Jack Miller in ninth on the grid is the fifth of eight Ducati riders to qualify in the top 10 for the Indonesian Grand Prix. The fact that it wasn’t enough for more for him on the second factory Ducati on Saturday was also due to the circumstances. Miller’s first Q2 lap was cancelled due to exceeding the track limits, later a yellow flag got in his way.
Fabio Di Giannantonio on the second Gresini-Ducati just missed the top 10. Like Bagnaia, he got into Q2 via a diversion in Q1. Meanwhile, the two VR46 Ducati riders Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi, third and fourth fastest in Q1 respectively, just missed out on Q2. They will start Sunday’s race from P12 and P13 respectively, as Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha) moves up three places.
