MotoGP | Dall'Igna: “Honda's exit would have been a problem for everyone”

Luigi Dall'Igna meets Motorsport.com a week after the presentation of Ducati, which this year will aim to win its third consecutive title in MotoGP, the fourth in total for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer. On the tenth anniversary of his arrival at the Bologna brand, the engineer has acquired so much influence in the team and in the world championship that he is seen by many as the Adrian Newey of the championship. After breaking most of the records last year, Ducati will face this 2024 in full strength and with the extra resource Marc Marquez, who gave up the last year of the millionaire contract that tied him to Honda to get on one of Dall's prototypes 'Igna.

Was it the quietest Christmas of your life?
“In reality, I'm a person who unloads when he stops working. When I'm with friends, I close the shutters and have fun. It was a quiet Christmas, but it was quiet last year too.”

Many compare you to Adrian Newey, leader of the Red Bull technical department in Formula 1, due to the influence you have in MotoGP. However, not just one rider wins with your bike, many do. Does this take you to the next level?
“This is impossible. Newey is a legend. Just the fact that someone compares me to him gives me satisfaction. But cars and motorcycles are two completely different universes.”

Next year Marc Marquez arrives at Ducati, who many consider the Max Verstappen of MotoGP. Don't you think there's a risk that we'll talk less about the bike and more about Marc?
“My goal is to win, and I have to make sure that Ducati does it for as long as possible. This is the ultimate goal of my work. I'm not egocentric in this sense, I don't just see Ducati winning, but the rider and the team that wins together. We are a team. I have never asked myself whether the rider or the bike was more important. The only thing that matters is that at the end of the season the rider who wins the most coveted prize rides a Ducati” .

Wouldn't it be easier if pilots from the same company followed established orders?
“This is a sport, it means that we must behave in a sporting manner and we cannot play dirty. This is the basis of my philosophy. Playing dirty would be limiting the performance of a motorbike to prevent a rider from winning. Jorge Martin had the opportunity all the cards to play for the title until the end. Without extra maneuvers. This is playing clean, interpreting the sport correctly.”

Have you recently taken any references from Formula 1?
“Some time ago, I liked Formula 1 a lot. Now I like it a little less. I follow it and I'm interested because there's a lot of technology behind it and I'm very curious. Let's say I don't watch all the races anymore. There are a lot of engineers aerodynamicists who currently work in MotoGP come from Formula 1. After aeronautics, Formula 1 is the pinnacle of aerodynamics. MotoGP still has a long way to go to fully understand it. I think there are aspects of aerodynamics where it has to improve a lot, we don't yet know all the facets that can influence a motorbike.”

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati

Why did Ducati sign the introduction of the concession system in favor of Yamaha and Honda if it had clearly declared itself against it?
“We were not against it. We have always been in favor of helping them. From my point of view, when a manufacturer is in difficulty, it is right to give it a hand so that it grows and gets closer to those who are winning. Yes, I am completely against giving concessions to Aprilia and KTM. The former won two races, the latter challenged for the podium in almost all the grand prix in the final part of the season. I don't understand why give advantages to them.”

But the agreement covered both aspects and Ducati signed it.
“We accepted the concessions because we thought it was more important to help Yamaha and Honda than to disapprove of the advantages that Aprilia and KTM will have. If Honda decided to leave MotoGP, it would be a problem for everyone. To help Yamaha and Honda we had to accept the concessions to the others, in this sense we have signed. The more competitive the brands are, the more beautiful the world championship will be.”

Concessions can be of great help, provided you are aware of the need to change. Do you think Yamaha and Honda know this?
“The big difference is that they have the possibility to make mistakes and correct themselves. For example, they can open and modify the engine. We don't. Whoever has the concessions can go back with the engine if some problem arises. We have to end the championship with the engine that we homologated at the beginning of the year. For this reason we have to be much more conservative. It's not just a question of testing, but it's the possibility of risking much more. They, in terms of aerodynamics, have one more update than us If we're wrong, we have a problem.”

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing, Gigi Dall'Igna, General Director of Ducati Corse

Will the GP24 change much compared to what we saw in the Valencia tests?
“That was early in its development. There will be some changes that will be seen soon.”

Did the starting system that KTM implemented in 2023 take you by surprise?
“Maybe yes. So much so that we started thinking about a system to improve our starts. At that moment, the KTMs started better than us, but we reacted to eliminate this disadvantage”.

Which brand do you see as the biggest threat in 2024?
“All the brands will try to correct what happened last year. I hope that in 2024 they take a step forward. At the moment I can't name a name, but certainly among those with the concessions and the level that some have shown in 'last part of 2023, we will have more complicated things.”

What arguments made you stay at Ducati and not accept the challenge that Honda proposed to you?
“It cost us a lot to get this far. We didn't win the world championship from one year to the next. It would have been completely stupid to give up a set of things as positive on a technical level as what there is now in Ducati. The group The work I have next to me is wonderful, both from a technical and human point of view. Giving up this is not easy.”