Ducati collapse in Thailand
Ducati sank resoundingly at the season opener in Thailand, updating – negatively – statistics that had been ongoing uninterrupted for over five years. Marc Marquez could have saved the honor of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer, but he suffered a sinister failure of the rear tire between a puncture and/or a damaged rim after hitting the curb at the exit of Turn-4.
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Fabio Di Giannantonio was the first Ducati at the finish line in sixth position, Alex Marquez crashed in the final stages, Franco Morbidelli beat Francesco Bagnaia in a sprint finish, who finished in ninth position.
“After the tests I thought the potential was for a top-3 finish, but instead today I am the last Ducati – Bagnaia told Sky Sport MotoGP, obviously not considering Michele Pirro who replaced the injured Fermin Aldeguer – I didn’t push for even one lap to try to save the tire, but in the end I was spinning the wheels on the straight even in fifth gear. Marc was fast anyway and without what happened he would have been on the podium.”
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“We always pushed the tires really far in the tests, always riding quite consistently without ever having problems like this – Bagnaia added – instead, since the start of the weekend we haven’t been able to stop the bike well, we struggle to make it turn, to manage traction, the only thing different compared to the tests is the Pirelli rubber on the track with Moto2 and Moto3, but it can’t be an excuse. We will roll up our sleeves and work to get back to the front because in my opinion it was a bit of a race of its own and it’s hard to think that the level of Ducati, given the tests we did, could be this one here.”
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