Frankie Carchedi: “Second, third, it’s good, but that’s not what you’re here for”

British of Italian origin, Frankie Carchedi made his name in the English championship before joining the MotoGP few years ago. He first cut his teeth in Jorge “Aspar” Martinez’s team before joining the Suzuki clan in 2019 alongside Joan Mir. After a year of learning, the Mir/Carchedi duo won the title in 2020, the first crown for a Suzuki rider since Kenny Roberts Jr in 2000.

The 2021 season was more difficult for the two Suzuki representatives who recorded only seven podiums compared to 11 last year. The Hamamatsu factory also failed to reach the top step. So we spoke with Joan Mir’s chief mechanic to look back on this season and talk a little about what’s next…

What assessment do you make of the year 2021 with Joan Mir?

“Because we were world champions, I think, quite frankly, anything less than that is not what we were hoping for. However, being in the top three overall is a good result. We missed something, I would say. »

Exactly, what was Joan missing to fight for victory in each race?

“For sure, the first half of the season was difficult for us. I think we only qualified on the third row a few times, but the rest of the time we were on the fourth or fifth row. We still managed to finish on the podium several times. He is one of the very few to record good results from so far back on the grid, when the others make mistakes or fall. That was our problem. I don't think he lacked pace, because we were closing the gap. But your starting position dictates a little bit your potential for the race. »

🥇 2020 Champs@MotoGP pic.twitter.com/lStbYgTgtU

- JoanMir36 (@JoanMirOfficial) December 5, 2021

How do you explain that the Suzukis encounter so many difficulties in qualifying, and not just Joan?

“I did my analysis during the year by counting the positions won and those lost and a pattern clearly emerged. There are the Yamahas who always start in front and I think they have lost the most positions, while on our side, in particular Joan, even if I stopped counting, we have gained 75 places. I think the other driver is Brad Binder who, I believe, is approaching 90. But we can see that it is not specific to the driver, it is also linked to each of the manufacturers. The reds are together, the Yamahas are together, like the Suzukis... So it's very clear that as a group we were missing something, but I don't think it's just us. There are a few manufacturers who have this little extra something. But, mechanically, electronically, or even with the driver, over the last four or five races, we found something. I think it started in Aragón. It's not just about qualifying, but also about FP3, because we couldn't get directly into Q2. And Q1 is very difficult, tense... In Aragón, we were close, as in Misano, even if during that weekend, we had a dahsboard problem which prevented us from showing our potential. Then there was rain in Misano/2. We will say that only the last two weekends have passed normally, in the dry. And we were fast in FP3. It's not completely fixed, but we moved from the fourth or fifth row to the second. We are getting closer to the first row and that makes the difference. »

Excited to ride the #AmericasGP again 🤠
Con ganas de volver a rar en @COTA 🤠@MotoGP @suzukimotogp pic.twitter.com/xI2DbFcupS

- JoanMir36 (@JoanMirOfficial) September 29, 2021

Regarding the squatting device, the Suzuki riders were able to discover it in Styria, did it help in terms of performance?

Yes. I can't go into too much detail, because each manufacturer uses it in a different way. We are only at the very beginning of the process compared to others who have had it for years. It’s like everything: the longer you have a piece, the more you perfect it. When Suzuki brings something, it’s already at a very high level. During the year, we were able to think about future developments. This helped us not only in the race, but also in qualifying. Although this is a clear advantage, it also brings some disadvantages, because we had to develop the bike accordingly. It is not by equipping this system that it works directly. There are certain things you can now do with the bike that you couldn't before. This gives us some possibilities. Also on our side, we have not yet explored everything. One of the biggest advantages lies in qualifications; the average over the first half of the season and the second… a big difference.

We know that a new engine was tested in Jerez, can you tell us more?

“About the engine, you can find power or change its characteristics, but in the end, if you make a mistake, it's not like you can change it after a race (the engines are sealed before opening of the season and can no longer be modified, editor's note). So we're being very careful, we're taking small, positive steps to make sure we don't get to the next test or the first race thinking “we're in big trouble!” We spent a lot of time on different configurations of the engine, especially electronically to explore it in detail. There are also other elements like parts for the chassis, aerodynamics… and I think we finished the test with a clear direction. Chassis-wise, we're pretty strong. As for the engine, we need to analyze. For the moment, the pilots' feelings seem positive. We've given some guidance on what we need to work on this winter. »

What is the program for this winter?

“At the moment we are analyzing everything and we are organizing meetings to understand the direction to follow. At Suzuki, we don't just focus on one point. We ensure that everything progresses. We don't stop because it works. We made good progress with the engine. We have seen this year that many have worked on aero to improve speed. We are going to take advantage of the winter to work on this point and find a little speed. Without mentioning the manufacturer in question (laughs)… there will be eight next year (he is talking about Ducati which will field 8 Desmosedici in 2022, editor’s note). Fighting against one or two is fine, but no longer…. This is a bit like what happened in Valencia. He was second and with the pace he showed in warm-up, he could have taken off. But, all it takes is a long straight line to lose this advantage. It’s difficult and with eight drivers next year we need to work on this to make it a little easier. »

P6 #JerezTest
"I tried the new engine and it seems to have more power. My first impressions are really good, and it gives me a nice feeling going into the winter break. See you next year!”

@suzukimotogp @MotoGP pic.twitter.com/NI7KxfJb3y

- JoanMir36 (@JoanMirOfficial) November 19, 2021

And what will the Sepang program be?

“It will be about putting everything on the table and organizing the three days to test each element. I'm hoping that with all the work we've done this year, the engine we've just got going, we can get off to a good start working on the other elements. »

What are the goals for Joan next year?

“Not only me, but also Joan is also a winner… Second, third, it’s good, but you’re not here for that. I'm sure there are at least 10 drivers on the grid, whose goal is to be world champion. You just have to make sure you're one of them. I think we have the basis to be there. We need to analyze this year to see where we can improve or score more points. At the end of the day, we're not very far away. We had our share of bad races, like Fabio or Pecco... That's the beauty of MotoGP, everything is close and in two or three races, everything can change. »

Many contracts will come to an end in 2022, as chief mechanic, how can you prepare for a possible final season with your driver?

" It's a good question ! To be honest, it's almost irrelevant to me. It’s more for the management of Joan or Suzuki. I think the only time we thought about the future was in 2019 when he rode the bike for the first time. And everything we accomplished was for 2020: the way of working, how to approach a weekend or the season. It was a bit like a long season of testing to be ready for the first race. Whereas now we tackle the races one after the other. There’s no point in thinking about the last race… I’m not even thinking about the first yet. This may be the case after the last day of testing in Mandalika. The calendar is so full that we can only analyze the last race to prepare for the next one. So… wait’n’see! »