German MotoGP: Ducati not 'one of the favourites' but Miller, Bagnaia confident
Is𒀰 the Dꦆucati Desmosedici the most 'complete' bike on the 2021 MotoGP grid?
While Fabio Q🙈uartararo leads the world championship for Y👍amaha, Ducati riders are queued up behind him in second (Johann Zarco), third (Jack Miller) and fourth (Francesco Bagnaia).
With the unlikely exception of Mugello (fourth), a Ducati rider has finished first or second in every race so far and although Miller is the factory's only race wiꦏnner, all four riders on the latest GP21 - including rookie Jorge Martꩵin - have featured on the podium.
But if any circuit can underline 🧸the completeness of the GP21 package it's the Sachsenring, venue for this weekend's German MotoGP.
While Ducati's main strengths are in a straight line - acceleration, top speed and hard braking - the Sachsenring is the slowest track (for maximum speed) on the calendar, the bike is barely upright for the twisty opening half of the lap and there are onl🌠y two major braking points.
As such, Ducati has just a single MotoGP win at the Sachsenring, b🦩y Casey Stoner in 2008, and only one podium in the last ten years, a third b⛎y Andrea Dovizioso in 2016.
Can the likes of Miller and Bagnaia end that rostrum drought this weekend and continue to show thaꦏt the Desmosedici is a force to be🙈 reckoned with at all circuits?
"Ducati isn't one of the favourites at this circuit, but this year we've managed to be competitive even on tracks that should ha🉐ve b⛎een difficult for us," said Miller.
"My feeling with the Desmosedici ꦛGP continues to be very good, so I'm confident that I can fight for another good r🥂esult at this Grand Prix."
"We're at the penultimate race before the summer break. It's a crucial moment for the Championship, and it will be crucial to get aꦿ good result this weekend," add♍ed Bagnaia.
"Sachsenring is definitely not꧂ one o💦f the best tracks for our bike's specifications, but I am confident that we can do well this year.
"As always, it will be important to ဣbe competitive right from the start of the weekend! I can't wait to get right back to work with my team”.
Pete🥃r has been in the paddock for 20 years and has♕ seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
