Ducati has made public an important change in its sporting leaders. With immediate effect, Paolo Ciabatti leaves the role of Sports Director of the Racing Department to become head of the off-road project, with the role of General Manager. His vacated position will be filled by Mauro Grassilli, who until now has been in charge of the marketing and sponsorship department. The element that best explains the nature of this maneuver appears in the note sent to the media, but something remains hidden. In his new position, Ciabatti will no longer report to Dall'Igna, General Director of the Borgo Panigale company, but will do so directly to Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati. In other words, this change does nothing but strengthen the position of Dall'Igna, whose area of influence goes far beyond the purely technical question. Apart from his first three years after arriving at Ducati (in 2014), in which Domenicali wanted to closely mark his arrival, the coach has gained more and more weight in sporting decisions. Now everything passes through him.
Ciabatti's exit captures attention above all for the moment in which it occurs. The arrival of Marc Marquez in Gresini places him as one of the pieces on the chessboard managed by the Bolognese brand which, up to this point, has controlled its training in an excellent manner. One of the pillars of this management success has always been Ciabatti, who stood out for his empathy, ability to persuade and ready for dialogue. Until now, one of his main qualities was that of negotiating the contracts of Ducati riders, a generally treacherous role, but one which he has always resolved with few conflicts. If we take a look at Grassilli's CV and his lack of racing experience (he showed up in only four or five races a year), it is difficult to imagine him in negotiations with Pecco Bagnaia or Jorge Martin, to name just two portfolios that is due to open in the next few months.
“Paolo has always been very easy to work with. He is very reliable and polite. He is empathetic and also affectionate. He never lost his calm,” says Jorge Lorenzo, with whom Ciabatti established an excellent relationship upon the Majorcan's arrival at Ducati in 2017. “By starting this off-road project, I understand that Ducati needs someone who knows the brand and has the level to lead the project. With Paolo's farewell, the MotoGP department loses a lot, but motocross gains a key piece”, claims the five-time world champion.
Photo by: MotoGP
Jorge Lorenzo with Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Sporting Director
“Paolo has always looked at the human side, in addition to the good relationship he has always maintained with the sponsors. For this reason, all the riders love him, he has a good connection between them and Ducati. He has always created meeting points,” explains Albert Valera, Jorge Lorenzo's manager at the time and Jorge Martin's current manager. “Mauro is very good, but we will have to give him time to see if he will be able to develop this human aspect. As for sponsors, he learned a lot from Paolo,” adds Valera.
In parallel to these future issues, one of the main issues that the new Ducati management will have to address is the “fixing” of Marc Marquez. It is a challenge, if we take into consideration the reticence with which he was received by the other drivers of the brand. This job seemed tailor-made for a profile like that of Ciabatti, who with his character managed to earn the trust of all the Ducati riders. However, it seems that the Borgo Panigale team likes to complicate its life and has preferred to leave this matter in the hands of Dall'Igna. Motorsport.com learns that the engineer was one of the main supporters of Marc's hiring in Gresini, while others such as Ciabatti or Domenicali were more reluctant to his arrival, aware of the possibility that he would alter the harmony they worked so hard for to reach.
A few days ago, in a conversation with Motorsport.com Ciabatti recognized that Ducati considered Marquez as a valid option as much as Bagnaia or Martin for one of the two official bikes in view of 2025: “Obviously we think of Marc as a possible official rider for that 'year”. The competition for those two places is expected to be some of the fiercest in recent times. In addition to the obvious candidacies of Bagnaia and Martin, we will have to see Enea Bastianini's ability to recover after a year in which injuries did not allow him to show the best version of himself. On paper, another of the riders who should aim for one of the red Desmosedicis is Marco Bezzecchi. This is while waiting to understand what path the VR46 will take, if for 2025 he decides to renew the agreement with Ducati or change supplier. To this competition we must add an important figure like that of #93, who in recent months has had several disagreements with those who are now his brand mates. It cannot be ruled out that some of them may feel betrayed by the arrival of the driver from Cervera.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Absolutely no one believes that Gresini could have closed the agreement with Marc Marquez without Ducati's approval. Or, at least, those who want to find out what the eight-time world champion is capable of doing with one of his bikes. In view of the approaching turmoil, many saw Ciabatti as the ideal mediator profile. However, these possible fuses that may explode will no longer be his problem. “This restructuring can be explained by two reasons”, clarifies a person updated on the operation to the author of these lines. “First of all, Ducati wanted to give importance to off-road and Gigi is not interested in this. Paolo is the most suitable person to manage this new area. Furthermore, his exit from MotoGP will strengthen Dall'Igna even more, because it eliminates a figure who could have exerted a certain counterweight in his decisions,” claims this authorized voice.
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