Ducati boss insists there’s no pressure to win in Qatar
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali says the Italian marque is under no pressure to win the first race of the new MotoGP season in Qatar.
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, Ducati
Ducati Corse
The Losail track has historically been kind to Ducati, with Casey Stoner having won three successive races there in 2007-09, and Andrea Dovizioso taking back-to-back second places in the last two years.
This year's Qatar's race will mark three-time premier class champion Jorge Lorenzo's Ducati debut, and sporting director Paolo Ciabatti believes the Spaniard can open his career with the team with a win.
However, Domenicali insists that there is no pressure on the Borgo Panigale squad's shoulders to win in Qatar, saying the curtain-raiser ought to be treated like any other by the team.
"There is no pressure," Domenicali said when asked about the possibility of winning in Qatar. "We know there is still work to do, but we know we have done a lot.
"It's a bit like when you take an exam having studied; there is still the fear of surprises lurking. But we are safe in the knowledge of having done our best – if someone is calm, there's no pressure.
"We are not going with the idea that it's all or nothing. It will be a race like any other. If it goes well, good; but otherwise we'll make it up in the next ones."
Marquez starts as favourite
Asked about Ducati's targets for the year, Domenicali was clear that the goal is to win the championship in the first year of its new partnership with Lorenzo - but named Honda's Marc Marquez as the favourite.
"In 2016, we grew a lot and we won two races," said Domenicali. "We had matured enough to take a rider like 'Giorgio', as we call him. Now we have all the cards in our hand to [win the title].
"But clearly, besides 'Giorgio', there are many other strong riders in the championships – not least of all the reigning champion, Marc Marquez, who starts off as favourite for the title."
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