At first, it was an experiment, then it became an alliance, and now it is the duo that looks down on everyone else in MotoGP. The meeting between Ducati and Lenovo has been a blessing for both companies. It is no coincidence that what was initially a sponsorship has become a collaboration, strengthened by multi-year renewals of the agreement. 

A partnership that has elevated both

It’s not just a matter of putting a sticker on the bike or a nice sign in the pits (Ducati Corse has around 40 partners this season), because Ducati’s initial need for data has turned into all-around support from Lenovo, which provides workstations, servers, computers and clusters. This is an effective and flexible infrastructure, capable of providing valuable information on any circuit and in any type of environmental situation. 

It’s important to remember that in a MotoGP season, you go from the scorching heat of Qatar to the unpredictable weather of Japan and the United States, but the importance of data is so great that there is no room for error.

Like a Rossini crescendo, the partnership orchestrated by Lara Rodini, Lenovo’s Global Sponsorships Manager, after a career in motorsport that saw her work side by side with Valentino Rossi, has boosted the Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer’s stock, heralding the birth of the Ducati Lenovo Team. 

This year, the team includes Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia and Marc Marquez. The former has won the championship twice (2022 and 2023), while the latter, on his debut on the red bike, is set to win his ninth title (six of which in MotoGP).

During the Italian leg of the championship at Mugello (near Florence), I had the opportunity to experience the build-up to the race with the Ducati team, who welcomed a small group of journalists to their motorhome and pits. It was a useful insight into the behind-the-scenes preparations of the riders and mechanics.

The importance of data and the rise of sensors

‘When we made our MotoGP debut in 2003, there was little data available, so we had to find solutions to extract more data. It was difficult work, also because, unlike Formula 1, real-time telemetry is prohibited here. Lenovo stepped in to meet our needs, and since we have been using their infrastructure, we have multiplied the data available to improve performance and, therefore, results.’ David Attisano, Head of Data and Analysis at Ducati Corse, summarises the evolution of technology’s impact on the world championship.

To quantify how the riders’ approach to racing and the bike has changed, just consider that during each race weekend, the six Ducati bikes generate around 100GB of data (which is shared among all the riders), which can then be processed by the engineers to reach up to 300GB. Twenty years ago, at the end of a race, barely 1GB of data was collected.

Lenovo’s devices and technologies have been useful in expanding research and multiplying the sensors used to measure the bike’s performance. ‘During testing, the bike has more than 50 sensors, which are then reduced to 30-35 for the race, because each one weighs 6-7 grams and the weight of the bike must be reduced as much as possible, as it cannot weigh less than 157 kg according to the regulations,’ says Attisano. 

An important aspect of the partnership concerns the clusters and servers that Lenovo provides to Ducati, which can be used to perform ‘maximum aerodynamic calculations to design innovations before others.’ This is one of the crucial points, because in recent years Ducati has been dominating MotoGP, forcing rivals and organisers to seek countermeasures and new rules to curb the supremacy of the company founded in Bologna in 1926 but taken over by Audi in 2012.

The Remote Garage and the role of AI

On the technical side, in addition to technology, the speed of execution is the distinguishing feature. When a rider goes out during free practice, he does a few laps to test the set-up and collect data on corners, braking, cornering and tyres. He then returns to the pits, where the information is downloaded instantly for analysis by the mechanics. Within minutes, changes are made to the bike, and the rider goes out again for further testing. In the meantime, the data obtained is processed by other mechanics, both on-site and remotely. 

Ducati and Lenovo have created the Remote Garage, which reduces the size of the on-site team (a necessary step in the Covid era) and lightens the expenses of teams that can spend up to £45 million for a MotoGP season. However, the Remote Garage has another important function, as the technicians at Ducati’s headquarters have all the tools they need to carry out simulations on the track, providing the riders with useful information to correct their riding style or take more or less risks in certain sections.

With this in mind, the Ducati-Lenovo team also explained how AI is proving to be a valuable aid. Thanks to algorithms developed in-house, it is possible to identify sections where the bike can gain tenths of a second, or to check how and how much the tyre is wearing, thus taking the right precautions.

The combination of Lenovo’s ability to provide technology and innovation and Ducati’s engineers’ expertise in exploiting these devices to make the bike go faster clearly explains why, in order to win in MotoGP today, you need the talent of the rider but also a technology partner capable of anticipating trends and getting there first.