Ducati arrives at its home Grand Prix this weekend and does so in what is possibly one of its best moments at all levels. Jack Miller has won the last two races, at Jerez and Le Mans, climbing to fourth in the championship after an uneven start, while Pecco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco are second and third overall, usually on or near the podium , in each race.
Mugello has recently become the garden of the Borgo Panigale brand drivers, taking victory in the last three races held on that circuit: Andrea Dovizioso (2017), Jorge Lorenzo (2018) and Danilo Petrucci (2019 ), all of them now outside the Ducatista discipline.
To these three triumphs we must add the one won by Casey Stoner in 2009 to collect the only four occasions in which a red motorcycle has crossed the first finish line in Mugello.
The current moment of the Italian brand’s riders, the spectacular growth of the Desmosedici and recent precedents point to a new and incontestable victory this weekend.
However, to say that Mugello is Ducati territory is saying a lot. Of the 34 occasions that a race of the queen class of the World Championship has been held on the Tuscany track (see the table of all the winners at the end of the text), a Honda has prevailed on 16 (six times by Mick Doohan ), on twelve occasions a Yamaha has done it and only on the aforementioned four, a Ducati. As well as the two times Suzuki won: in 1976 ( Barry Sheene ) and 1992 ( Kevin Schwantz ).
Yamaha’s overwhelming dominance
While Honda’s supremacy at Mugello dates back to ‘prehistory’, when it mercilessly dominated that track between 1992 and 2003, winning every race, the winged bike’s forays in recent years come down to the victories of Dani Pedrosa in 2010 and Marc Marquez in 2014.
Thus, the constructor that has dominated the Italian circuit in the modern era has been none other than Yamaha , with 10 victories between 2004 and 2016, when Valentino Rossi won five consecutive races (2004-2008) and Jorge Lorenzo took him the relay to win as many (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016).
When the M1 has been in good condition and the rider in shape, the Yamaha has been unbeatable at Mugello, and Massimo Meregalli , the team’s sports director, knows it well.
“Realistically speaking, we always expect the Italian Grand Prix to be a very close race. We know that the level will be high in this circuit, but we plan to take advantage of some sections of the track that best suit our bike, with the aim of fighting for the podium”, explains Meregalli, showing little ambition in the previous one.
Nor is the leader of the World Cup very euphoric, Fabio Quartararo , winner of two grand prix this year, in Doha and Portimao .
“This weekend will be special because we didn’t come here last year, and because it’s the home Grand Prix for the team”, admits el Diablo.
“We had a good weekend at Le Mans in general (3rd), and I also think that our potential is good for this next appointment, I am going to get to work and give the best we can”, adds the French rider, who is in an excellent moment and has clearly become the enemy to beat for the Ducati.
Although Fabio has only competed once with the MotoGP at Mugello, in 2019, when he finished 10th, his teammate Maverick Viñales has more experience on the Tuscan track, where he finished second in 2017 behind Dovizioso, although in the next two years could not pass the 8th and 6th place, respectively.
“I like Mugello a lot,” says Mack , however. “It is one of my favorite tracks on the MotoGP calendar. I usually go very fast there,” he adds.
Like Meregalli, the Spaniard points out that there are points on the track where the Yamaha works well.
“It is a circuit that has everything. There are points on that track where I am at a good level and, in general, I am usually competitive at Mugello”, points out the rider from Roses , who this week became a father for the first time. !! Congratulations!!
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Dorna
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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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Photo by: Dorna
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Photo by: Dorna
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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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Check here all the winners in Mugello:
| Temp. | Class | Pilot | Builder |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | MotoGP | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati |
| 2018 | MotoGP | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati |
| 2017 | MotoGP | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati |
| 2016 | MotoGP | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha |
| 2015 | MotoGP | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha |
| 2014 | MotoGP | Mark Marquez | Honda |
| 2013 | MotoGP | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha |
| 2012 | MotoGP | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha |
| 2011 | MotoGP | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha |
| 2010 | MotoGP | The days of Pedrosa | Honda |
| 2009 | MotoGP | Casey Stoner | Ducati |
| 2008 | MotoGP | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha |
| 2007 | MotoGP | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha |
| 2006 | MotoGP | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha |
| 2005 | MotoGP | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha |
| 2004 | MotoGP | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha |
| 2003 | MotoGP | Valentino Rossi | Honda |
| 2002 | MotoGP | Valentino Rossi | Honda |
| 2001 | 500cc | Alex Barros | Honda |
| 2000 | 500cc | Loris Capirossi | Honda |
| 1999 | 500cc | Alex Criville | honda |
| 1998 | 500cc | Mick Doohan | Honda |
| 1997 | 500cc | Mick Doohan | Honda |
| 1996 | 500cc | Mick Doohan | Honda |
| 1995 | 500cc | Mick Doohan | Honda |
| 1994 | 500cc | Mick Doohan | Honda |
| 1993 | 500cc | Mick Doohan | Honda |
| 1992 | 500cc | Kevin Schwantz | Suzuki |
| 1991 | 500cc | Wayne Rainey | Yamaha |
| 1985 | 500cc | Freddie Spencer | Honda |
| 1984 | 500 cc | Randy Mamola | Honda |
| 1982 | 500cc | Freddie Spencer | Honda |
| 1978 | 500cc | Kenny Roberts | Yamaha |
| 1976 | 500cc | Barry Sheene | Suzuki |
