MotoGP – Losail QP1 – Step back for the d'Antin team

A difficult day. The qualifying tests for the Qatar GP reveal the critical moment of the Pramac d'Antin MotoGP which faces technical problems. Alex Hofmann and Josè Luis Cardoso qualified in 18th and 19th position respectively. The Team was unable to identify the right compromise between the numerous adjustments available and the Dunlop tires, to provide the necessary grip to the Ducati Desmosedici GP6 “Sat.”; on the front, the lack of grip causes difficulties in cornering and there is no possibility of adequately releasing all the bike's power. Tomorrow the start of the MotoGP class race is set for 15pm in Qatar (14pm in Italy).

Alex Hofmann

“I'm saddened because I've never qualified with four seconds from pole position before, not even at the beginning of my career. Today all the riders took a step forward, however we suffered a technical decline compared to yesterday. I feel like I'm going backwards and it's a really bad feeling for a rider. I'm worried because we don't know which direction to follow and in theory this should have been one of the most suitable tracks for our coverage, evidently it's not what I thought".

Jose Luis Cardoso

“Today we did a lot of tests, tried numerous settings and worked more on the suspension because I didn't have confidence in tackling corner entry. Unfortunately, no adequate solutions were found, we had identified a decent, softer front tyre, but it doesn't have the necessary durability. Consequently, we opted for a harder tire which, unfortunately, undermines the bike's setting, effectively ruining all the work. This explains the numerous tests that we were forced to do, but which did not have sufficient positive results to further improve our times. To set the time we even used a race tire which allowed us to lap a second lower than the qualifying tires we had available."

Luis d'Antin

“We are not used to working in these conditions. Our official tire supplier, Dunlop, must do more to evolve and provide us with suitable material, because at this rate, we are only wasting spare parts and petrol. The situation has become unsustainable, for the riders, for the team, for all the technical sponsors who believe in us, and for Ducati. We will do our best for tomorrow, we will still work hard. The solution is not within our box and we don't have a magic wand."

Pramac d'Antin MotoGP