The return of Ducati’s only MotoGP champion so far Casey Stoner to the garage at this weekend’s Algarve Grand Prix has revealed a flaw in the team’s strategy.
Stoner has stepped into a new role as Ducati’s unofficial rider coach, and factory riders Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller both say that’s highlighted an area where they’ve not previously realised they were lacking.
Working closely with both riders at Portimao during his first visit to the paddock in nearly three years, Stoner has aided them both immensely according to championship runner-up Bagnaia, who says that if Ducati could engineer a way to keep the Australian on the payroll for 2022 it would be a big benefit.
“It could be a nice present from Ducati to have Casey as a coach next year,” Bagnaia admitted.
“He has a different point of view, he’s a legend, and it’d be different to have a coach – because in Ducati we didn’t have a coach, and for me it helps a lot. And maybe next year we can have him?
“For me today he helped a bit for the last corner, exit of last corner, and was useful.
“I think that the nice thing is the approach he has with us. He’s still in his mentality a rider, so he can enter in our minds and understand the situation.
“The job of a coach is to go on track and see what the other riders are doing and telling us, and more or less he’s done the same.”
Stoner’s main desire is to remain close to his family in Australia – something that has become even more of a priority as he continues to battle with chronic fatigue syndrome since his 2012 retirement.
But Miller says that the experience of this weekend has highlighted that if it’s not his countryman Stoner, then someone needs to step into the coach role for Ducati.
“There’s not much money to be cut out of my salary to bloody pay for him, so I don’t know about a pay cut,” Miller joked.
“But I mean it’s fantastic having Casey here for the last two grands prix.
“He’s got a family and lives on the other side of the world, so the idea of that working out [as a permanent arrangement] I think could be too hard, logistically and whatnot, but definitely I’d be all for it 100%.
“Casey is very methodical and precise with how he explains things, and has a good way of putting things across.
“He gets his point across without in any way, shape or form being rude. You know what he’s talking about, it’s clear.
“He’s a rider. When you get something like a line in your head it’s clear, but if the track develops in a different way you can almost get tunnel vision.
“He can understand that, he can understand what the other guys are doing, and he can help.
“As Pecco said, it’d be really nice to [continue with Stoner].
“I’ve worked with, like, just spotters sort of thing on track – and he’s not a normal spotter, let’s say that, it’s Casey Stoner, a legend, one of the best to ever do it.
“I think it is something we’re missing in our programme and it’s something that we definitely need to look at maybe introducing into the programme.
“Not saying that we can get Casey – more than happy to have him – but somebody.”
While not entirely ruling out the chance of a full-time return to MotoGP life in the future, Stoner admitted that it would be something tricky to organise given both his situation and his home location.
“It’s funny you should mention that,” the two-time world champion said when asked about a new role in the paddock.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I finished my career – but it’s not as easy as it sounds.
“I’ve got a family that’s in Australia, if I’d have to travel and that sort of thing I’d have to be away from them for long times.
“It’s quite an interesting situation, because as much as I want to do that, at the same time I’m not going to do it in half-measures, I want to do it properly and try to help someone through.
“So it’s kind of a situation that I’ve had lots of discussions with my wife [about] and with other people and it’s something I’d really like to do and enjoy doing.
“I feel that I’ve still got a lot to give, I’ve got very unique insight, I suppose.
“I know what it takes to be fast but I also know how and why things happen. If I was given that information when I was earlier in my career it would’ve saved me a load of time learning it later on.
“So I’d really love to do that, but it’s just that situation’s tricky.”
