MotoGP Brno: Rossi, Marquez give views on new Ducati fairing

'I think at the end the rules don’t work because we arrive in a very similar situation now with the new cowling of the Ducati' - Valentino Rossi.

Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez have had their say on Ducati’s radical new winglets fairing after Dani Pedrosa felt it was potentially dangerous, if another rider caught a handlebar on it for example.

Ducati unveiled their new ‘downforce’ fairing at Brno on Friday amidst much scrutiny, being the most radical of the new generation of designs 'homologated' for grand prix use so far.

Neither nine-time world champion Rossi nor current championship leader Marquez feel it is exceptionally dangerous.

However the Italian does think that the 2017 regulations - which ban only external winglets, while allowing internal downforce devices through a deliberately vague ruling that relies on the technical director to be the sole judge - are 'not working':

“I think that at the end of last year, from what I understand it, the main reason [to ban the wings] is they know that the wings are a bit dangerous and they try with the rules to avoid that type of cowling.

“I don’t know if it is right or not, but I think at the end the rules don’t work. Because now we arrive in a very similar situation with the new cowling of the Ducati. But for me, personally, I think that it is not particularly dangerous.”

Marquez also felt the wings as used last season posed a bigger risk, but pointed out that perhaps a rider’s arm could become stuck in the new Ducati design during a spill.

“I felt more dangerous last year, with the big wings. Of course [the new Ducati fairing] is a little bit strange in case of a crash, not for another rider, but maybe the same rider – the arm can go in or something, I don’t know,” he said.

“But of course motorbikes will be always dangerous. If it is inside the rules, it is an homologated fairing, for me it is OK.”