MotoGP Qatar: Ducati riders discuss engine allocation, ‘we want to win’

The opening weekend in Qatar kicked off with confusion surrounding the Ducati Lenovo MotoGP engine allocation.

Rumours suggested Pecco Bagnaia had been unhappy with the 2022-spec rolled out at the Sepang and Mandalika tests forcing the Bologna factory to revisit its plans and offer an intermediate option mixing 2021 and ’22 strong points for the Lenovo duo. The Italian was less forthcoming when questioned on the origins of the compromise.

“Is not true that we are not using the ’22,” Bagnaia said on Friday evening from Doha. “We are just using the best package possible we decided after the test in Mandalika. We decided to use the best package for us and is normal I think. I prefer this engine, in this mix and I like it more than the past and more than the new. So I’m very happy and I’m totally confident with my team that this engine is the best way to work.

“Is a mix,” he explained further. “Is not the one [tested] in Jerez, not the one in Mandalika and not the one in Malaysia, is a mix of last year engine and this new year engine. We decided together to use it after the test in Mandalika. We have seen the potential of this spec and we decided to use it just because it was better.

“We want to win and we think that to win we had to use it.”

“We are on an engine that Ducati has chosen to be the best engine for the season,” Jack Miller confirmed, after completing the day in the top six. “So that’s about all I can really say about that. It’s not either a 2021 or 2022, it’s the one they chose for us, the best one that they think will give us the best chance and yeah, I’m quite happy with the outcome.

“They want the best for us,” the Australian continued on the Italian factory’s progression. “They want us to have the best chance