While the headlines in Sunday’s Mugello MotoGP race were firmly focused on home hero and race winner Pecco Bagnaia, it was a far more anonymous day for some of his Ducati stablemates.
Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin and Bagnaia’s factory team-mate Jack Miller were among those scrapping for the final points-scoring places, split only by the LCR Honda of Alex Marquez.
Though that looked like a disappointing return, in part triggered by poor qualifying performances in damp conditions, both were adamant afterwards that they weren’t entirely to blame for their poor races as they pointed at the same problem – the gearboxes of their Desmosedici GP22s.
“Starting on the back doesn’t help,” Martin admitted, “and the first few laps were crazy, trying to overtake and then being overtaken back.
“It was really difficult to get a good position at the beginning of the race. And then on the sixth lap, we started to have some problems with the gearbox and gears weren’t coming in from second or third.
“We were losing a lot of time and also I was struggling a lot in the last corner and the first corner to take out the gear. I was blocked in really high gears and I was losing a lot of time. I was with the front group but then I was getting overtaken by a lot of riders because of this issue.
“To take out one gear I had to make the movement two or three times, so imagine after 23 laps. It was really difficult in the last laps and I was struggling [physically] a lot. But it is what it is. I wanted to finish and at least we took some points.”
Miller’s own gearbox problem was somewhat more nebulous than Martin’s, with the same issue giving him a flat spot in third gear that meant he was unable to utilize the grunt of the Ducati on corner exit to set up an overtake of Marquez and Martin during the final laps of the race.
“Starting 12th and going onto the grass on the entry to turn one isn’t ideal, then I got smashed around and made life hard for myself,” said Miller.
“I tried to come through but got caught up with Martin and Marquez and just couldn’t find a way through. I was losing quite a lot coming off the last corner and even though I was able to catch up a fair bit coming into Turn 1 it was never close enough for a decent attack.
“I sent it in a few times, but I was losing the front, running a little bit wide and both times Marquez was able to park it up the inside of me. I tried but it’s very difficult to do anything when you can’t pass.
“I was just losing too much coming off the last corner to make a pass, that’s the only issue. It was the gearbox or something, because the bike seemed to be in a bit of a flat spot in the last corner, in third gear, and Marquez was able to eke out maybe five bike lengths that I had to try and catch back on the rest of the straight.”
But there was still something a positive for at least one of them to take, as Martin brought to an end a crash streak that stretched back three rounds to the round at Austin nearly two months ago.
Martin has finished less than 50% of this year’s eight races so far, so his positive from the weekend was that he made some steps towards rebuilding his confidence, something he’s hoping to further improve at his home race at Barcelona this weekend.
“We deserved better and the potential was much better, but I couldn’t do anything,” he conceded. “The pace was good to battle for a top six, top seven, but we had this issue. I had a big issue and I couldn’t do anything more, nothing else.
“At least we finished the race and at least we gained some confidence from the weekend.
“In Barcelona, the mentality will be a little different, just trying to work on the feeling, trying to forget a bit the race and just try again to be fast. A bit more like a test, because I’m not riding comfortably and for sure at the beginning of the year I was.
“I just need to go back to the basics and I think I’ll get back there.”