Ahead of the Motul TT Assen, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Francesco Guidotti took some time out of his busy schedule to chat all things 2022 – and more – live on Twitch on the MotoGP™ Last on the Brakes Podcast.
Guidotti shared his thoughts on his new role this year, the differences between leading a factory team compared to an Independent Team, Jack Miller’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) pending arrival, the intense competition in MotoGP™ and where KTM are currently lacking in their bid to be regular podium challengers again.
Asked about Brad Binder’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ability to claw his way through the pack on a Sunday afternoon, Guidotti revealed there’s no secret to the South African’s success. The number 33 is just an incredible fighter and extracts the maximum out of both man and machine.
“Unfortunately there’s no secret, it’s just a huge effort from Brad. He’s an incredible fighter. During the race he’s able to push 110% of his potential and get out the maximum of the bike,” said Guidotti.
“We have to give him and Miguel the chance to have a better qualifying lap to reach a better grid position, then they will be in the condition to fight for better positions in the race. I mean in the first three races they were able to get into Q2 and the results were better. In Portimao we also went into Q2 where Miguel could achieve a good result, so it means the pace in the race in there, the bike is improvable but it’s already a good base. We miss the qualifying and it makes everything more difficult for the race.”
Qualifying has always been important, but with the level of competition in MotoGP™ so fascinatingly tight, securing a good grid position is now crucial if a podium is on Sunday’s menu. On that subject, Guidotti reveals that they have a “new idea” to try in the coming races.
“Brad is an incredible fighter and he can reach 7, 8, 10 positions during the race but it’s more risky, more tyre wear, everything is useless, you can do it easier starting from a better grid position. We are focusing on this issue and maybe in Assen we can see something better, in case of constant weather conditions it will be difficult in Assen, otherwise we will test our new idea in Silverstone or the next races.”
You can head over to Twitch to watch the latest episode of the MotoGP™ Podcast with Guidotti, or head over to your favoured Podcast platform to give it a listen!