Ducati questioned about being forced to run less bikes in MotoGP

This year, they have eight (two factory bikes, and two each from Pramac, Gresini and VR46).

Already blessed with the championship’s best machine, the Italian manufacturer is also able to benefit from sharing data between the most amount of riders.

Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti was asked by Sky if he expects to be forced to lose, or sell, a satellite team to reduce their presence on the grid.

"The regulation does not foresee any obligation on the part of the teams, which, being independent, choose on the basis of the offer, the technical package, the competitiveness of the bike and the cost of this package,” Ciabatti insisted. 

“Over the years, the policy of sharing the data with everyone - the riders and engineers - allowed us to speed up development, but it also gave a competitive advantage to the other teams. 

“Four teams is a lot, but it is also true that at the moment only Ducati is able to supply the bikes they have allowed all the riders to get on the podium, except Enea Bastianini, who had a season complicated by two accidents.”

'We are never satisfied'

Ducati are guaranteed to crown their second consecutive MotoGP champion this year, following 15 winless seasons.

Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi are the only riders in the running for the title with three rounds remaining.

Can Ducati possibly dominate further?

"It is clear that we are never satisfied and that we always try to improve from all points of view: engineers, technical point of view and management of our riders,” Ciabatti insisted.

“At the moment we cannot complain because we have among the best riders and it is right that other riders remain with other teams because it shouldn't be a single-make championship. 

“In Australia we finished first, second and third, [in Thailand] we achieved the 13th consecutive pole position: those are impressive numbers. 

“It seems right to me to be happy with what we have at the moment. 

“We don't hide the fact that having Marc Marquez on a Ducati can be complex to manage, but it's a luxury to be able to have so many champions on our bikes."

Casey Stoner’s 2007 title was Ducati’s last until Bagnaia in 2022.

But Ciabatti can pinpoint an unexpected year when he knew their fortunes were changing.

"In 2015 with the new bike,” he said. 

“The previous bikes suffered from a technical situation that had become very complicated in the two years in which Ducati was with Valentino and had not managed to obtain the results that everyone was hoping for. 

“We have come out of two very difficult years , especially in 2014 with Gigi Dall'Igna working on a completely new bike, the GP15, which on its debut in Qatar finished second and third with Dovizioso and Iannone behind Valentino. 

“At that moment we understood that we had found the way to regain competitiveness. 

“Then we came second many times, in 2017, 2018 and 2019 with Dovizioso and in 2021 with Pecco. 

“Last year was the culmination of these ten years of work."