MotoGP | Exclusive: Paolo Ciabatti (Ducati) talks about coronavirus, canceled GPs, rider market and Superbike

Ducati MotoGP Paolo Ciabatti – We exclusively interviewed Paolo Ciabatti, Sporting Director of Ducati Corse, who hoped to be able to leave for Qatar, where the last IRTA pre-season tests of 2020 took place a few weeks ago.

Subsequently, the coronavirus epidemic broke out, with the consequent cancellation of the MotoGP class race in Qatar only, due to restrictions on flights coming from some European countries including Italy.

With Ciabatti we spoke about the cancellation of the Qatar GP, the postponement of the Thailand GP, and the frenetic hours that MotoGP is experiencing.

On a purely sporting level we talked about the tests recently carried out at the Losail International Circuit, about Ducati, about the Motomarket which saw Yamaha as great protagonists with the confirmation of Vinales and the hiring of Quartararo in place of Rossi and Honda, which even extended Marquez's contract until 2024.

We also talked about Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo and concluded with Superbike. Here's what he told Motorioline.

Coronavirus emergency and cancellation of the Qatar MotoGP GP and postponement of the Thailand GP

“It's clear that it's a serious and unexpected situation, at least until a few weeks ago it didn't seem that way, unfortunately in the face of this health emergency the sporting aspect takes second place, Italy is currently one of the most affected countries after China and South Korea and therefore the government of Qatar has placed restrictions that make it impossible for Italians to travel to that country, because they would have to remain in quarantine for two weeks. Since a large part of the MotoGP teams are managed with Italian personnel and I'm not just talking about Ducati and Aprilia but also Yamaha and Suzuki, Dorna had no choice but to take note of this very unpleasant situation and race only Moto2 and Moto3 which were already in Qatar for pre-season tests.”

Would stopping after the tests have been too expensive? Would it have been possible?

“When we arrived home after the tests, the situation in Italy was also relatively calm, because the number of positive people was just over a hundred, then the numbers increased and when the decision to leave was made, a similar situation. We could also have thought of staying, but a certain number of people had to return to the company, our engineers to carry out a whole series of jobs that they had foreseen and I believe that there are situations in which a person cannot be saved at all costs event, stopping for a week in Qatar. Furthermore, there were also everyday problems, such as taking the children to school, and there were also family needs to manage. Beyond the importance of trying to play this match, I believe that in the end it is difficult to predict when the championship will start, because it is not in our hands and it is a question of understanding how the situation will evolve, not only in Italy, but in the other European countries and also in the United States in the coming weeks.”

Possible move of Aragon to make way for Thailand

“At the moment it is impossible to predict when we will be able to return to racing and this is obviously a great shame, but I would say that the possible inclusion of Thailand at the end and the relocation of Aragon would repeat the 2019 calendar, so from this point of view it's manageable. It's a question of understanding whether Qatar, apart from the fact that it will still be held with two categories, there will be no other need to move other Grand Prix."

Motorcycle recovery in Qatar

“Someone already went to pick them up today. We have a couple of Spaniards on the team who luckily for them are not currently subject to flight restrictions. They went and together with the mechanics of Team Avintia who are Spanish they are organizing the return of the bikes. I think that the material will return to Europe to the logistics headquarters of DHL which deals with transport for the MotoGP world championship and then awaiting indications on what the next stage will be. Motorcycles have always been “safe”; ours, like those of all the other teams, are inside the garages or even inside the crates, so from this point of view there are no worries."

Ducati Qatar MotoGP Test Report

“Historically, Qatar is a favorable track for us if we look at the results of the last two years and therefore we were ready to take part in the race and play for it. The result of the test showed that both Andrea (Dovizioso, ed.) and Danilo (Petrucci, ed.) had an excellent pace with very interesting times on the race simulation. The fittest was Maverick Vinales, while Marquez seemed to be in difficulty, both with the Honda, so much so that he rode Nakagami's 2019 version bike on the last day and due to shoulder problems. Now he will have at least a month to recover, so from this point of view I think he will present himself better at the next race, hopefully it will be Texas. As for the new rear tire brought by Michelin, the one with the softer carcass, it was better suited to Yamaha and Suzuki, but we were very optimistic about the fact that we had found a setup solution that would allow us to have our say. What we are experiencing is an "unpleasant" situation for the riders too, they were now ready both physically and mentally to start the championship and now, in the best case scenario, it will start in a month."

Motorcycle market, Yamaha and Honda protagonists

“We knew that with the contracts expiring it would be a market in turmoil. Yamaha decided to "promote" Vinales to first rider and hired Quartararo, who felt great on this bike. We also knew that Honda would keep Marquez, even if we didn't expect a contract until 2024. We are happy with the riders who are in the Ducati family, let's not forget that Dovizioso is the only rider who has somehow managed to counter Marquez in the last three years, always finishing second and it should be remembered that Ducati is the only brand that managed to win with both riders last year. We also have Jack Miller under contract, who in 2019 achieved 5 podiums demonstrating that the GP19 was a competitive bike and then there's Bagnaia who, after a difficult rookie year, can do well and demonstrate his talent. We also signed Zarco at the last minute. He will race in Team Avintia with the 2019 bike, we don't ask him for podiums, but he can do well. Furthermore he can lend a hand to development, in the last three years he has ridden Yamaha, KTM and Honda."

Yamaha decision to "get rid of Valentino Rossi

“It's always difficult to comment from the outside on a decision made by others, because obviously only they know exactly how things went; as an interested spectator also for the discussion we had earlier, I believe that the fact of having two riders who could actually be on the market like Vinales and Quartararo, who I believe together are 45 years old, meant that they made this decision. I believe it was a painful decision, but absolutely understandable and I believe that also as far as Rossi is concerned, he understood that a company must safeguard its flags as much as possible, but also think about its future. Aside from the fact that some may have left a bitter taste in their mouths, but this should be asked of those directly involved, I believe that in any case Rossi asked for time to decide and there wasn't time. However, they guaranteed him an official bike if he wanted to continue racing in a great team like Petronas and therefore I would say that they did the best they could do and thought about their future, the team and the company."

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo together in Petronas in 2021?

“Personally I believe that Valentino (Rossi, ed.) will still want to race in the event of positive results, while I don't think the same thing about Jorge (Lorenzo, ed.). He made a different choice, first he retired and then he became a Yamaha tester, but it's one thing to be a tester and another to race. The tests he will do can be counted on the fingers of one hand or so, I don't see a return for him as a regular driver. Then everything is possible, it would be worth asking those directly involved, if during the season he makes some wild-cards then he will make his own assessments of him."

As you saw the Ducati and Superbike in general that started the championship at Phillip Island

“The Ducati seemed extremely competitive to me and I think Scott (Redding, ed.) had excellent races. It's clear that someone referred to last year's results, but it must be taken into consideration that Scott weighs around 30 kg more than Bautista and this may have had an impact on the final result, given that there was a sprint finish . Alvaro (Bautista, former Ducati rider and now at Honda, ed.) has a small physique, while both Scott and Chaz (Davies, ed.) are "boys". Speaking of the championship, I think it was definitely a roaring start because there are many pretenders to the throne and I think the spectators had a lot of fun watching the races. Razgatlioglu deservedly won on his Yamaha debut, demonstrating that he is a very fast and also mature rider. We also saw Lowes without awe towards Rea, so I think it will be a good championship where the Hondas will also arrive soon. We can expect a first-rate World Superbike Championship, very entertaining for the spectators.”