Pecco Bagnaia is still searching for his ideal form at the start of the season, in a scenario in which the former world champion is facing obvious challenges that are even more visible in the face of what Marc Márquez has been able to do and show on the track. For Neil Hodgson, the information that the Italian has given the Ducati engineers at the start is insufficient for them to make the necessary adjustments, unlike what happens with Márquez straight away.
The TNT Sports commentator had previously said, quoted by Crash, that Márquez can quickly reach the limit of the bike and collect important data, something that doesn’t happen in Bagnaia’s case because he is (or was in Argentina) riding ‘above the limit’, showing a ‘weakness’ of the #63.
So Hodgson clarified what happens internally in the team garage: ‘What does it give you? It gives you vital information. By the third or fourth lap, everything you do on the track is very important for improving your bike and your feeling,’ Hodgson explained, emphasising that the information gathered is essential for the engineers, especially in the Ducati factory team.
He continued: ‘That information is what your engineers use. More now than ever. There are a lot of engineers in the Ducati factory team’.
The Briton then justified himself with figures: ‘Bagnaia was 16th fastest, 1.35 seconds off the pace. Every lap he does is irrelevant because he’s so far off the pace. But Márquez is relevant’.