MotoGP Aragon: Ducati talks team orders - ‘Title very important’

Ducati claimed its first championship of 2022 on Sunday with victory in the MotoGP Constructors at Motorland Aragon.

Three in a row for the Italian manufacturer came after a dramatic end of race battle between Gresini Racing’s Enea Bastianini and Lenovo rider, and long-time-leader, Pecco Bagnaia, with the factory’s 2023 promotee clinching the win by just 0.04s at the line.

“Yeah, we’re very pleased,” Paolo Ciabatti confirmed from Aragon. “Obviously we were expecting this year, especially seeing all the winning streak of Ducati.

“This is our tenth win of the season - obviously six with Pecco and four with Bastianini including today’s. So, it helped very much to clinch the constructors title for the third consecutive year, the fourth in the history of Ducati. It’s good to do it with five races to go so now we can concentrate on the riders title, and also on the team’s title.”

A one-two in the race for Bastianini and Bagnaia sealed the deal for the Bologna factory but with the riders title on the line, and without success there since Casey Stoner in 2007, will team orders come in to play as the final five races unfold overseas?

“I think it was a great race for spectators,” Ciabatti said magnanimously. “Obviously, for the title, Pecco has a chance to win the title more than Enea, is a little bit behind. Would be better for him to finish on first position obviously, but as usual Enea is super strong in the last few laps and he was faster, so Pecco didn’t want to take any risk to try to overtake him again, because it was too risky. It’s one-two for Ducati. Enea fought for the win, I think Gresini Racing is very happy and in the end, it helped Ducati to win the title so it’s good. We gain some more points on Fabio [Quartararo]