Ducati is accused of underinflating Francesco Bagnaia during the MotoGP win in Jerez: Luigi Dall’Igna provides an immediate response
Ducati had to deal with the accusation of undercutting the specified minimum air pressure at the recent MotoGP race in Jerez just a few days before the French Grand Prix in Le Mans. The Italians provided a response to the allegations without delay and took the wind out of the sails of the accusations.
Specifically, Ducati was accused by Motorsport Magazine of underinflating the front tyre of Francesco Bagnaia’s winning bike. In all 25 race laps the air pressure was below the minimum air pressure of 1.9 bar.
Quoting a MotoGP engineer whose name is not given. “It is obvious that some teams are cheating on the tyres. We are not happy with the situation,” the MotoGP insider explains. “It’s been going on for a long time and it’s not right. The problem is that the rules are respected by many, but not by others. They can achieve better performances and get away with it because there is only a gentleman’s aggreement.”
According to a review, winner Francesco Bagnaia was not the only rider in Jerez to ride with underinflated tyres. Ducati brand-mate Jorge Martin, Suzuki factory rider Alex Rins and RNF Yamaha rider Andrea Dovizioso were also found to be underinflated.
Ducati responds to allegations without hesitation
The fact that Ducati was alleged to have cheated at Jerez prompted Luigi Dall’Igna to react immediately. According to Dall’Igna, there is currently no uniform system that detects clear violations. The Italian is annoyed by the accusations and is trying to clarify the allegations.
“When you set rules, you also have to think about how to control them,” Dall’Igna said. “The sensors used are not uniform. That leads to the fact that there can be no accurate measurements. Different sensors give different values. So that doesn’t have to mean cheating. It’s just that the air pressure is not measured consistently. “
Why the significance of air pressures is low
According to Dall’Igna, the values supplied to the ECU can currently still be manipulated. The consequence of this backdoor is that the air pressures released to the public are, on balance, meaningless.
“Ducati has decided not to change the values. But maybe there are teams that have decided to raise the values to stay within the right window, even if strictly speaking that was not the case,” Dall’Igna said.
In addition, the Ducati corse boss points out the inaccuracy of the sensors. “What looks like too low a value at first glance is not necessarily too low. You also have to take into account the respective measurement error,” he notes.
Adjusting the air pressure is especially tricky for the front wheel. Different race courses have a strong effect on the values. If a rider rides many laps behind an opponent, the air pressure can rise sharply.
If a team expects such a race course, which then does not occur in practice, the rider can ride with too low a pressure. In Bagnaia’s case, this was exactly the case. From the start, the eventual winner had a clear view.
