Gino Borsoi with the Pramac team has, in his own way, written the history of MotoGP: between 2023 and 2024, he became the first team manager to lead an independent team to the top of the world, first in the Teams’ standings and then in the Riders’ World Championship, with the unforgettable title won by Jorge Martin in 2024. Then, after the golden Ducati years, came the restart with Yamaha, in an inevitably different technical situation and with other objectives.
On the eve of the Italian GP weekend at Mugello, Pramac returned to the spotlight for an unexpected and particular acquisition: the signing of Ross Brawn to the team, historical technical director of Benetton and Ferrari in F1 and team principal of the ‘miracle’ Brawn GP 2009. A man who, in his career, has contributed to his teams winning 11 Constructors’ titles and as many Drivers’ titles. Brawn will now be part of Pramac’s Board of Directors and will serve as strategic consultant to Team Principal, Paolo Campinoti.
Our exclusive interview with Gino Borsoi, therefore, could only start here.
Gino, the news about Ross Brawn has captured the attention of the entire MotoGP paddock: how did this idea come about and what added value can he bring to the team?
It certainly stems from the great friendship between Campinoti and Brawn, and obviously it’s also in the interest of the entire team to have someone with such a high level of knowledge who can help develop this new project with Yamaha. So it’s definitely an advantage and great news for the team and for me, because this way I can learn new things from someone who has achieved so much in his career.
Will Brawn’s presence have an impact already this season? Or should it be thought of more in terms of 2027?
No, no, it will definitely have an impact already this season.
Speaking of this season: how do you evaluate Toprak [Razgatlıoğlu]’s year so far, who was the big new arrival, and also Jack Miller’s?
As for Toprak, he is in line with my expectations. In fact, I would even say better than I imagined before the start of the season because we have repeated many times how difficult it is to adapt to this category. There is a completely different bike management, the level of the riders is very high, and his main characteristic, which is strong braking, is not an asset that can help him at the moment because he is suffering a lot from this big difference in tires. But I must say that we are seeing great strides forward precisely in this phase. Braking is the most critical part for him, and in just seven races, he has managed to reach the level of the best Yamahas, so there has been an interesting step that I judge very positively. The good thing is that it means he understands what he needs and then puts it into practice. It means he is a smart person who is working very hard. His race position is more or less always the same in the end, but if you don’t learn the correct approach you need to have in braking, you cannot proceed to the next step. Now we are sorting out the braking, and then we can start developing the second part of the work. It’s only a matter of time, but in this context, time is always short because only Sunday’s results count. I believe that, in light of all this, it will take another 5-6 races before we start to see the real Toprak in MotoGP.
And about Jack?
He’s always the same Jack: he’s a hard worker, a rider who is giving great feedback to Yamaha. He has always been a rider who has managed to ride different bikes and always with the V4 philosophy, so his feedback is certainly important. Let’s say he’s a very valuable asset for the team. He’s giving his insights, and race after race, I must say that Yamaha, thanks to the team’s work and also his input, is improving.
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The issue of market announcements is naturally blocked at the moment, but have you already made internal evaluations?
Like all manufacturers and all teams, it’s clear that we make evaluations, but we are still at a standstill. Honestly, we’ve only had seven races, so there are still quite a few evaluations to make. We have some ideas, but to say we’ve decided how to proceed, I would say no.
You also have the Moto2 team, which is a junior team. Is it helping you? It seems like a project that recalls Red Bull’s in F1, and which is perhaps less common to see in motorcycling.
Clearly, the project was born precisely for that reason: you have to build the rider base first in the lower categories. You need to create the mentality, teach them how to see certain things, and also teach them what the approach should be on weekends, because then if there’s a chance to move from the lower categories to MotoGP, you get a rider who is already used to being within your ecosystem and therefore already has the correct mentality. You don’t have to start explaining everything from scratch again. And then, of course, creating your future riders directly within the team is definitely an advantage. This is precisely why the Moto2 project was born, and it is a project that is very important for Yamaha and Pramac because it helps all of us prepare for the future.
You’ve gone from the years at Ducati where you were the best independent team and managed to win a World Championship to a situation that is now very different. How does team management change? How do you manage to reset objectives starting from a more difficult situation than the one you left just a few years ago?
You started well by saying ‘different,’ but then you ended up using the term ‘difficult.’ It is different. When you start from scratch, it’s obviously not easy, but this is part of the project and it’s certainly a great and beautiful adventure. In MotoGP with Ducati, we achieved a great result: we’ve put it aside now, but it will always stay with us. Now the goal is to try to help Yamaha return to being one of the best factories in the world, as it was in the past. And if we succeed, it will acquire the exact same value as winning a World Championship, so only the objective shifts. I don’t like using the word ‘difficult,’ and it’s beautiful because it’s an interesting challenge.
How are the negotiations with Liberty Media going?
It seems the stars are aligning. I imagine there will be communications from Liberty or the teams shortly. I would say everything is going in the right direction.
Finally, I wanted to ask you for your thoughts on Jorge Martin, because you probably know him better than anyone else in the paddock. How do you see this resurgence, which many found unexpected after all his injuries?
Honestly, I don’t understand why it was unexpected, because Martin has already proven his worth. Last year was a difficult year, that’s clear, but Martin is a rider with a determined mindset. He always has a great desire to challenge himself, he trains, he’s someone who never gives up mentally. He has made truly important steps and has always been very physically prepared, which is why he might also recover faster than others. His speed is obviously unquestionable, and when he starts to find balance with the bike and the team, he returns to being a world champion. He is certainly an added value to the World Championship. He is another important actor in this year’s film and, in my opinion, will make things difficult for many.
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