“Not easy when your title rival is looking at your data”

In the case of Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in 2010, the factory stopped direct data sharing between the two sides of the garage, with only Yamaha engineers able to pool the data.

But there will be no such restrictions in data sharing during the current title fight between Ducati Lenovo’s Francesco Bagnaia and Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin.

“It was always like this and it will be like this always,” said Bagnaia whose data, as reigning world champion and current title leader, has probably been studied more than any other Ducati rider in recent years.

“[Jorge] can see my data when I'm faster, I can see his data when he’s faster. So for me it's the same.”

Martin recently admitted he would prefer not to share data with the other Desmosedicis but accepts that it’s a fair process and the same for everyone.

“I guess he [Bagnaia] knows exactly my setup [by now anyway] because I almost never change it!” said Martin.

“But yeah, it's already like this.

“For sure battling for a championship is not easy, when you know your rival is looking at your data. But I am also looking at his. So let's try to take the most out of it.”

Bagnaia added that the difference in their riding styles means what works for one rider won’t necessarily help another.

“The good thing is that we ride in different ways, so it's also different to compare sometimes,” he said.

Bagnaia takes a 14-point title lead over Martin into this weekend’s penultimate Qatar round.