Ducati will create a real “dream team” in the two-year period 2025-2026. This morning, in fact, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer announced that Marc Marquez will arrive in Red, forming a pair of 11 titles (perhaps 12 at the end of the year) with Pecco Bagnaia.
A few hours after the official announcement, the general director of the racing department, Gigi Dall’Igna, gave a long interview to the microphones of Sky Sport, in which he told the background of the negotiation, but also dealt with other burning issues such as the farewell of Jorge Martin, who will move to rivals Aprilia, or the risk of losing Prima Pramac Racing as a satellite structure. Below, we offer it to you in full.
What made you choose Marquez over Bastianini and Martin?
“The awareness that Marquez can make a difference with Ducati. Our bike has reached incredible levels, so the fact of having two riders like Marquez and Bagnaia in the official team increases the chances of winning the World Championship, which is our goal. anything can happen in racing, so having two drivers capable of fighting for the title is the best thing.”
What does Marquez’s arrival at the Ducati factory in 2025 represent?
“Our goal is to win the World Championship, having both Marc and Pecco allows us to try to reach this goal, also because our rivals have strengthened, so it will be increasingly difficult to win. Our goal was to keep both Martin and Marquez, we knew which was difficult. We tried until the end. It was a very complicated decision, but in the end we opted for Marquez.”
How did Bagnaia take the news of Marquez’s arrival in 2025? Could it be difficult to manage in the garage?
“From the point of view of the development of the bike I’m not worried, we have our philosophy, we don’t look at a single rider but we take into account all the riders for the development of the bike, so Marquez is already helping us this year. more concerned about sports management: the climate currently experienced in the Ducati team is wonderful, the goal is to continue to have it next year too. Bagnaia has already shown what he is capable of, he does fantastic things on the bike, it’s ours flag, we signed the renewal with him before the start of the World Cup.”
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
How much did marketing-related aspects weigh in choosing Marquez?
“I’m not a marketing man, Marquez’s choice was purely sporting, even if there are those in the company who certainly made this choice also for marketing reasons. Marc has many fans in the world.”
Is there a risk of losing Pramac? How much would it weigh?
“The risk is certainly real, it would be a disappointment for us, Pramac and Campinoti have been with us for a very long time, they are part of our success. Everything is still to be evaluated, but the problem actually exists”.
What will Martin’s management be like between now and the end of the World Championship?
“We do sport, so we have to be sporty. Nothing can be said about Ducati’s management of customer motorbikes in recent years, everyone has had the opportunity to express their talent and grow with our motorbikes, it will be the same for Martin , they will not lack our technical and human support.”
There was a run-off between Marquez and Martin, so did you count Bastianini that he would be left out?
“Enea did wonderful things in Ducati, even with a private team, he had a wonderful journey arriving in the official team. He had bad luck: he threw away his first season due to an accident in the first race, he didn’t have the opportunity to prove his worth. We had two titans prepared to fight, coming from a different path, and Bastianini was put aside.”
How many sleepless nights did you spend coming to this decision?
“I hope to start to relax, because it was a complicated decision, both from a sporting point of view and from a human point of view, because no rider ever went out of line. There was never any impropriety. I changed my mind several times in these days, but in the end I am convinced that Marquez is the right choice. We have the best team in the history of Ducati. The decision was made on Sunday at Mugello (2 June, ed.). “.
Can Bagnaia and Marquez be at the same level on the factory Ducati?
“I really think so, they are two champions, they have great determination, they both know how to suffer. They will play it on equal terms. We will see a good World Championship, all the fans at home will have fun watching our drivers fight on the track”.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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