FEATURE I MOTOGP TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
P108
much advantage now because
you have this extra downforce
and extra drag. So [without slip-
stream] you lose top speed like
you don't believe. To even think
about competing and attacking a
guy in a corner, you have to tuck
in behind him as much as pos-
sible. As soon as he brakes, you
pull out. If you pull out before,
you're in the wake and it's a hor-
rible experience."
Another impact of the aero
packages: the downforce is
dependent on whether you have
clear air hitting the front of the
bike, rather than being stuck
in a slipstream. Marc Marquez
noted how, "When you're alone
you use your aerodynamics to
turn, you don't push a lot the
front tire. When you are behind
somebody then you don't have
the downforce and then you
push more the steering, pushing
more the tire and then the tem-
perature is going up. It becomes
more critical every year."
Dovizioso concurred. "The
winglets give you downforce.
[But] If you have the slipstream,
the downforce is the opposite
way. This means you are not able
to brake even where you brake
alone, you have to brake early."
With all these factors at play, it's
easy to envision why simply brak-
ing later than the rider ahead isn't
as straightforward as it once was.
Miller again. The factory Ducati is
slammed front to back with both
ride height devices fully engaged.
