Saturday, May 31, 2008

Melandri blames too many set-up changes

Marco Melandri blamed too many configuration changes to his Ducati Marlboro for his abysmal 18th position in today's qualifying for his home Grand Prix at Mugello.

The Italian, in his worst qualifying result of what has proved to be so far a very difficult first season with the Bologna-based team, lamented too many changes on the bike throughout the weekend in an effort to solve his problems with the rear tyre.

"We've gone from bad to worse after each session," Melandri told Italia1 television. "Unfortunately in the confusion we've also lost what little good we had found.

"We carry on changing the configuration of the bike: in four session we had four completely different bikes. We haven't improved anywhere, in fact I think we've gone worse even more.

"The rear tyre is always cold, with the result that I have no feeling with the rear. It's no good, even with the qualifying tyre, it starts to warm up only towards the end of the lap for me, so it's not OK for my riding style.

"We'll have to evaluate things more. Unfortunately I can't get used to a bike that is constantly changed. The situation is constantly evolving, but is difficult at all times. We'll see tomorrow if I can get some feeling back.

"I need to put more weight at the rear to try to warm up, at least a bit, the rear tyre in order to feel it, because turn entry is impossible for me."

Melandri explained that, while he felt it might have been a good idea to use the set-up from the Shanghai race, where he scored his best result of the season with a fifth place, the team had other ideas.

"Perhaps with the difficulties we've also lost our calm," he said. "To change was certainly a mistake. I wasn't sure what we had, I perhaps wanted to get back to the set-up we had in China, however there was an idea of changing again in order to try to put temperature in the tyre, but we made a mistake. We must talk more clearly to make more sensible decisions."

Melandri denied, however, that he and the team are at odds over the way the bike is set up.

"I'd like to change different things, but unfortunately it can't be done on the track, and we still can't find affinity between my riding style and the bike's character," he concluded.

"For now I think we are at opposite ends. It's difficult, not because the bike doesn't suit my style, but because a fundamental part of riding is feeling the rear tyre. I don't have that, so it's not an easy situation."

Ducati technical director Filippo Preziosi, however, has said that the team are preparing developments for Melandri to help him find more performance.

"Marco has several problems regarding engine's rideability, so we've developed something special for him," Preziosi told Italia1. "We'll bring to Barcelona an evolutionary step, and let's hope it'll give him a hand to find the performance he's able to do."

The Grand Prix of Catalunya at Barcelona will be held in one week's time.



  • Qualifying rained off at Monza
  • Jakes relieved after securing pole
  • Jakes takes pole at Pau
  • Melandri never expected such tough year
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