MotoGP Mugello: Exclusive interview with Francesco Guidotti, Pramac Racing Team Manager

We exclusively interviewed Francesco Guidotti, Ducati Pramac Team Manager. We spoke with him about the results obtained at Mugello by his riders Andrea Iannone and Yonny Hernandez, the maximum speed record achieved by the rider from Vasto, the tire choices, touching on other topics such as the new Ducati and the motorcycle market. Here's what he told us.

Francesco, you are satisfied with the results at Mugello?

“We are very satisfied, even if the objective for the race was slightly different, we expected a fifth or sixth place compared to our strategy. We missed our target for the race, but we are satisfied with the weekend.”

Andrea (Iannone, ed.) on Saturday had set the maximum speed ever reached (officially) by a MotoGP, 349.6, a great satisfaction.

“Since Ducati entered MotoGP it has always stood out for its notable top speed and this record makes us quite proud, even if unfortunately it doesn't give points for the championship. It's a “nice” thing and we're happy to have obtained it ourselves. This is thanks to Ducati, but also to Andrea, because to reach these speeds here you also have to take the corner before the straight very quickly.”

For the race you opted for a soft rear tire with both Iannone and Hernandez, was it the right choice given the result achieved?

“In our opinion, yes. Yonny really felt the difference between the soft and hard tyre, so it was almost an obvious choice. As for Andrea, there wasn't that much of a difference, but we thought that she could give him an advantage in the first laps and didn't have a drastic drop at the end. After a briefing with the Ducati and Bridgestone technical managers we thought it could be the right choice in relation to Andrea's style. We played it out and I would be ready to make the same choice again."

Both you and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati internal team) took around 17 seconds from the winner. Do you think it's an acceptable gap also in relation to last year's gap and also to the fact that you took part in some tests a few weeks before the GP?

“It doesn't seem like a dramatic departure to me. It is clear that we are working to recover it all. Dovizioso had made a more conservative choice, starting with the hard tyre. To go back to the previous discussion (choice of soft tyre, ed.) this denotes that there wasn't all this difference and that the soft tire was the right choice. Evidently this is the potential of the bike at the moment and we are working on this to bring out the maximum."

Yonny Hernandez also had a good race, finishing in the top ten.

“He had a great race, because for many laps he held his own against the chasing group. With the bike he has, which we know is very difficult to manage, especially in the last part of the race, I think he put in a truly noteworthy performance."

In fact he finished close to Aleix Espargarò's Yamaha Open and ahead of Ducati tester Michele Pirro.

“That must be the term of comparison. It's clear that we would like to do better with him too. The potential to do so is there, we are waiting for technically better moments to be able to express ourselves.”

His bike is not the same as the other Ducati riders (he races with a GP13), do you think he will be able to have the same bike as them before the end of the year?

“The Ducati program, as you will surely remember, was corrected at the beginning of the season (after the Sepang tests the Open choice was made, then after the protest from the other manufacturers, Honda in the lead, Ducati runs like Factory but with the benefits of the Open , at least until it achieves significant results). He was destined to race with the Open and then give it some updates, but the basis of the bike would remain the same. Changing strategy at the last moment, I can say that there is the will to give him something better, when we don't know it.”

Barcelona arrives, a track in some ways similar to Mugello. Do you think you can do well there too, don't we forget the fact that you haven't carried out any tests in Spain?

“Andrea (Iannone, ed.) didn't do badly last year, in fact, if I'm not mistaken he achieved his best qualification. Then in the race he slipped, but the conditions had really changed and there were many falls. Beyond this we expect to do well, because the characteristics of the circuit are quite similar. As you say, not having tested as well as at Mugello will mean that we will all start on an equal footing. However, we are quite confident. It's another track where we could defend ourselves compared to other tracks where we struggled more (like Jerez, ed.).”

Fans of the two-wheeled Red are wondering when the new bike, the one designed by Gigi Dall'Igna, will arrive. What can you tell us about it?

“You should ask him or, in any case, Ducati. They didn't give us any particular deadlines or timing. I know they are working on it but as said you should ask them.”

One last question, tell me about the motorcycle market. Andrea (Iannone, ed.) has expressed his desire to move to an official team for next season, be it Ducati or something else (like Suzuki, ed.). This while underlining how well it works for you, both from a human and technical point of view. Have you already moved?

“If I'm not mistaken, Andrea should remain in Ducati orbit. Obviously if he moved to the internal team it would be a big loss for us. From a certain point of view I wish him to pass, even if for us, as mentioned, it would be a serious loss. We haven't moved yet, but we will do so shortly."

We thank you for this interview and wish you good luck for the rest of the season.

“Thanks to you and perish the wolf.”