Pramac: First win would be welcome, but we sleep well at night
Still seeking is first Ducati MotoGP race victory, Pramac riders have now finished runner-up on 13 occasions since the satellite team joined forces with the Italian manufacturer in 2005.
Nearly a third of those runner-up results have been by new signing Johann Zarco in the opening nine rounds of this season, carrying the Frenchman to an excellent second in the world championship (34 points behind Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo) by the summer break.
"What to say about Zarco? Four podiums and always in the lead group, fighting for the podium. All deserved I think because he's really focussed," Pramac team manager Francesco Guidotti told the official MotoGP website.
"He's also considering his position in the career, the age he has and maturity compared to the youngest riders. So I think at this moment we can be only happy [with him]."
At 31 Zarco is easily the oldest of the current Ducati line-up. Alongside him is rookie Jorge Martin, 23, who took a stunning pole and podium at the Qatar openers, only to be injured at Portimao and miss the next three events.
"The only black part for this first part of the season was the injury Jorge suffered in Portimao, which has made everything more difficult for his growth in this new category," Guidotti said.
"But after coming back he already showed once again his potential and attitude and racing approach he has deep inside. So we are confident he will grow in the second half of the season."
Should Martin return to his Qatar form, Pramac would have two riders capable of finally ending their Ducati win drought.
"A win is always welcome. We've been very close [over the years] but so far we're really happy and satisfied with our job, our riders and the Ducati support," Guidotti insisted.
"So at the end of the day, the win is something everyone wants but it’s not our main goal. Our mission is to grow up the riders, support Ducati, develop the bike and discover new talent. I think we are doing a good job in this way.
"If the first win will come, it's welcome, but we sleep well at night."
Pramac will keep both Zarco and Martin, on the latest Desmosedicis, for 2022, which will be the first season of the team's new three-year contract.
"We renewed the agreement for three years, which we can consider long term, so both parties are happy with each other. We grew up with Ducati since Gigi Dall’Igna joined Ducati Corse and hopefully this relationship will be even longer," Guidotti said.
In addition to Zarco (4), Danilo Petrucci (4), Jack Miller (3), Francesco Bagnaia (1) and Toni Elias (1) are the other riders to have finished a MotoGP race in second place for Pramac.
Prior to joining forces with Ducati, Pramac took two MotoGP victories with Makoto Tamada, run within the Honda Pons structure.
