Pramac Racing's Danilo Petrucci says the 2018 Ducati is the “best bike” he has ridden in the MotoGP World Championship.
Petrucci has been receiving full factory support from Ducati since last season, and is on the same GP18's as Jorge Lorenzo and Qatar race winner Andrea Dovizioso.
In a bid to improve his tyre conservation, Petrucci lost four kilos in body weight over the winter, but admits the strong base of the new bike likely has more to do with his better tyre management.
“Yeah, I lost weight, but it's difficult to calculate if it helps or not,” Petrucci, who qualified third in Qatar and finished the race fifth, stated.
“For sure, the most important thing is to manage the throttle. When you open outside of the corner you have to not let the bike slide, and is very easy with maybe 250, 260 horsepower.
“But we can work on the details, so when you have a good base it's good because you try one way and see if works or not, and if it don't work come back to the base.
“So I like a lot the new Ducati, the best bike I've ridden in MotoGP.”
Dovizioso also praised the '18 Desmosedici following his Qatar success last Sunday, believing the opening weekend of the season “confirmed” the progress Ducati made over the winter.
“I'm really happy because we confirmed in the race the step we did this winter, the hard work we did this winter, because in the past we were competitive in this track but not like last weekend,” he said.
“I was able to manage the race, I was able to make a really terrible start, and gain a lot of positions, while at the same time I could save the tyre and decide the strategy.
“So, it's not so easy to have this chance in MotoGP with the level we are. I'm really happy about that.
“We confirm we are more competitive than last year, more competitive than the end of last year.”
Petrucci remained a factor in the podium battle in Qatar until the closing stages, when a late move from Honda's Dani Pedrosa slowed up his pace, while the Italian was also left ruing his decision to run the soft front tyre.
“I'm a bit conflicted,” said the Pramac man.
“On the one hand I am happy with the top five, which was my goal even though I honestly had the potential to be able to finish on the podium.
“Pedrosa overtook me at the wrong time when the top three riders accelerated [away]. The choice of soft front tyre at the front perhaps was not the right one.
“But, I am still satisfied; we are much closer [to the front] than last year.”
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