The first shock of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship came from one of the main title contenders, the Italian Pecco Bagnaia, who decided to discard the new engine that Ducati fitted on the 2022 prototypes to return to the one he used last year. , with whom he was fighting for the title almost until the end of the season.
This decision also affects his teammate, Jack Miller, who by regulation is obliged to use the same engine. The measure, on the other hand, does not concern the rest of the Ducati riders.
The new Ducati GP22, which according to the brand’s riders has improved what was already a perfect bike, that of 2021, ended up not being, at least in the hands of the Turin rider, who last week announced his renewal for two more. seasons, until the end of 2024.
Bagnaia, apparently, did not find the same sensations with the 2022 engine that led him to be the best driver in the second half of last season, when he achieved four wins in the last six races.
In agreement with the Italian manufacturer’s engineers, Bagnaia has decided to return to the 2021 engine and mount it on the Desmosedici GP22, making the necessary changes, and with this hybrid bike he will try to storm the MotoGP title.
The engine that will be used by the factory team drivers is an update of the latest 2021 version, which was tested in Mandalika, after the new engine was considered no better than the previous one in Sepang.
Ducati has eight bikes on the grid in the top class this season, five of which are in the 2022 version: those of Jack Miller, Jorge Martin, Johann Zarco, Luca Marini, as well as Pecco himself. The remaining drivers, Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi, will compete on the GP21 instead.
Following the change, Pecco and Jack will race on a 2021-22 hybrid bike, while the Pramac and Marini riders will race the full 2022 version of the Desmosedici.
With the decision to use the 2021 engine at the first Grand Prix of the year, Bagnaia and Miller are forced to fit this engine for the rest of the season, as the engines are sealed from the first to the last race of the year, with a maximum of seven units per pilot, all identical.
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