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Two thirds of the winter has passed and Ducati has just three days of testing in Qatar left in which to smooth the corners of the GP17. The first tests in Malaysia proved successful, the new Desmosedici showed its worth with Dovizioso, Stoner and, on the last day, with Lorenzo too, but the old GP16 also held up with Bautista.
At Phillip Island though, the old problems returned, with the red bike unable to remove that mole from its face.
“It's true, we had more problems in Australia compared to Malaysia, there are areas that still require work - admits Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti - The comments of both riders are clear, we're pleased but also aware that we are still missing something in order to be there with Vinales and Marquez, the best in the tests”.
You have some days in which to work before the Qatar tests, what will you be bringing there?
“Before the championship begins, development is continuous and will also continue during the course of the season. We're currently deciding on various details and are working on all fronts. I can't and don't want to go into detail about what we're bringing to Qatar”.
Dovizioso has repeatedly said that the bike is not turning as he'd like…
“His indications allow us to better evaluate our work and we'll bear them in mind when it comes to future development”.
Were you surprised by the difficulties in Australia?
“I know it's obvious but when you build a new bike, the aim is to improve those aspects that are not yet perfect. The characteristics of Phillip Island highlighted the difficulty that our bike has in completing the turns, we know we need to improve there”.
So it's a problem that relates to particular tracks?
"Other tracks will highlight different characteristics but we're away that the races take place at 18 tracks and clearly our aim is to fight to be on the podium at all of them. We need to find a solution that allows us to be constantly competitive”.
The bike needs to match the rider, what is Lorenzo saying right now?
“The first test at Valencia was particularly positive, the circuit offers particular characteristics. After a two-month break, it's always complicated to get back on the bike, but we've left both Sepang and Phillip Island feeling optimistic. Jorge is working to understand the bike and his aim is to sort all of the details. He is a very methodical rider and wants everything to be right before he starts to push to the max”.
So he hasn't yet expressed his full potential with the Ducati?
“Exactly, he's holding something back, he hasn't expressed his full potential but is looking for that confidence he needs”.
How has his insertion into the team gone?
“The Americans would say ‘smoothly’. It's all gone as we'd hoped, he's working well with both his crew chief Gabarrini and the rest of the team”.
How does he like to work?
“He is extremely precise, methodical and very demanding, of both himself and others. Having him with us gives us even more motivation - with a 5-time champion it's only normal to be thinking about starting to win regularly”.
Your rivals aren't simply standing by and watching though…
“I see an increasingly competitive championship. Vinales has proved what everyone was saying about him and has perhaps even surprised a few people with his speed and constancy, while Marquez isn't a surprise for anyone. Then we need to consider the ‘usual suspects’ Rossi, Pedrosa, Iannone and some outsiders like Folger”.
Are you setting out to win?
“Our aim has not changed, we want to be constantly among the frontrunners. We're not starting out as favourites but we want to try and fight for the title, though winning it is not our priority for 2017”.
Many rivals and one less ally - the winglets. Lorenzo has also complained about their absence.
“What we expected to happen did in fact happen. We had done the most work on their development and were convinced in terms of their benefits. We're not surprised that without them our bike has different characteristics and there are certain problems. We're working on counter-measures even if these can't fully compensate for the lack of wings”.
Some of your adversaries have already unveiled alternative solutions, will you bring new fairings to Qatar?
“I think you'll see a similar bike to what we had at Phillip Island. This season we can homologate only two versions of the fairing so we need to be very sure of the benefits before doing so”.
Losail is a good track for the Ducati and for Lorenzo, is the pressure on to really start there?
“On the contrary, it's better like that. We know that our bike is strong in Qatar, Dovi has finished in second place on two consecutive occasions, and Jorge won there last year. Everyone expects us to fight for the win, that's clear, but I think the important thing will be to reach the podium and bring home some points”.
