MotoGP: Ciabatti sad to see Lorenzo leave Ducati

Ducati MotoGP boss Paolo Ciabatti says that Jorge Lorenzo’s current form is bittersweet to him, with the Spaniard continuing his strong run at Brno with another podium despite having only nine races left for the Italian manufacturer. Showing a different side of himself with a battling second place, Ciabatti says that Sunday’s result shows that they still have time to achieve great things together.

“Jorge told me after the race that more and more he understands little things about the bike that let him ride the bike at its fullest potential even if he doesn’t have the perfect conditions to do the usual Jorge thing and pull away at the start.

“There is always sadness when you realise that after nine races he will be with another team. Decisions get made and there is regret sometimes, but he is a Ducati rider until the last day in Valencia and we will support him and help him to win races until then. Apart from that, he is a person we’ve been living with for almost two years. He is a great character even if sometimes he says what he thinks too much and isn’t politically correct, but if you know him as a person he is a great person and we will always keep him in our hearts.”

However, Lorenzo is nonetheless going into this weekend upbeat. Knowing that he’s got the chance to add another win to his tally at a circuit that suits the Ducati, he’s confident that the lessons learned over the last year can give him a fighting chance.

“For us to arrive in Austria after the one-two in Brno is fantastic and there couldn’t be a better scenario for Ducati. If I had to indicate an ideal circuit for the Desmosedici, I’d probably chose the Red Bull Ring because our bike adapts very well to this track, which has a lot of acceleration points and heavy braking areas, and it’s here that we can make all the difference so I’m very confident for this GP. I’m really motivated to get some great results but, even though everyone says we are favourites for the victory, we’ll have to see how the weekend goes because the weather will be changeable and it could also be a determining factor for the race.”