Gigi Dall’Igna is the most influential engineer of the moment in MotoGP, where the Desmosedici dominated without rivals until a couple of years ago. Starting from a strategy with the bike at the center of the equation, Ducati has established a sporting policy based on meritocracy right from the youth pool, with a very marked hierarchy that has borne excellent fruit with Pecco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin, who acquired stripes and rights as they became more and more competitive. This ecosystem has blown up this year with the choice of Marc Marquez as the reigning champion’s teammate next year. A risky bet, that of putting two roosters in the same henhouse, which the offices in Borgo Panigale hope to keep under control.
“Marc and Pecco are two of the riders with the most character in the championship. I hope we will be able to manage it. I am confident about this thing, that it will not be a disaster, but the opposite: a perfect year for Ducati,” says Dall’Igna in an interview with the championship website.
According to the engineer, the decision to focus on Marc instead of Martin (the two were competing for the official place) was made by him, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali and sporting director Mauro Grassilli. When the decision was announced, Marquez had not even won a race with the Desmosedici. This weekend, however, in Misano he is aiming for his third consecutive success, a circumstance that allows us to take it for granted that the adaptation to the Italian prototype is complete. For the Venetian, the 2025 pairing has all it takes to make history.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“Pecco is one of the most important riders in the history of Ducati, probably the most important of all, given that no one had ever managed to win two titles,” Dall’Igna goes out on a limb, but then launches into praise for the rider from Cervera. “Marc is an eight-time world champion, he is one of the most important riders in the history of MotoGP. That’s why he’s doing so well,” he continues.
With seven Grands Prix to go until the end of the world championship in Valencia, Martin leads the championship with a 7-point advantage over Bagnaia, second, and 53 over Marquez, third. For years, Ducati has been praising the equality of opportunities that all its riders have. This, according to Dall’Igna, is also applicable now, even though one of the title contenders (Marc Marquez), is riding last year’s bike. “We have several riders who can fight for the title. Pecco and Martin are among them. But Enea and Marc also have options. We will give everyone the same options so that they can fight for the same goals,” concludes the engineer.
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