The crash involving both Ducati riders at Jerez de la Frontera overshadowed the negotiations for 2019, the main issue concerning Ducati. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, Team Manager Paolo Ciabatti and Simone Battistella (Andrea Dovizioso’s manager) met several times during the race weekend, but no agreement was found, because the parties remain in the same positions: Ducati keeps proposing 5 milion euros, but Dovizioso wants 6. Ducati Corse General Manager Luigi Dall’Igna said his opinion about the issue.
ULTIMATUM – “This is our best proposal for Dovizioso — said Dall’Igna to the Italian newspaper “La Gazzetta dello Sport” — now it’s up to him. I think Ducati Corse has done what it could and we have proven that we want Dovizioso to stay. Now I’m more pessimistic than in the previous race. There’s no plan B yet, but we cannot stop working. You normally need some time to reach a goal, but it’s better not to insist, if you can’t find a solution.” It really sounds like an ultimatum…
ACCIDENT – Dall’Igna talked about the crash of Lorenzo and Pedrosa, which involved also Dovizioso. “I think Pedrosa entered the corner faster than usual and it seems like he lost the front before hitting Lorenzo. But I can’t say whether he did it by mistake or to avoid a contact. It was a disaster, yes, but I prefer to focus on the fact we were very fast. Dovi had the same pace as Marquez on a track he doesn’t like and where Honda had dominated in 2017. This means that we’re closer to them. And I’m sorry for Petrucci, because I really hoped he could go on the podium. It would have been a well-deserved result for him and for us.”