Gigi Dall’Igna, General Manager of Ducati Corse, commented exclusively to Sky Sport about the decision to bring Marc Márquez to the Ducati factory team starting in 2025. Dall’Igna described the choice as complex, acknowledging Márquez’s polarizing nature, but emphasizing the greater chances of winning a World Championship with Márquez and Pecco Bagnaia competing at the same level.
What made you choose Márquez instead of Martín and even Bastianini?
“We realized that he could make a difference by riding our bike. Our bike has reached incredible levels, so having two riders like Márquez and Bagnaia increases our chances of winning the World Championship, which is our goal. As Max Biaggi once said, ‘Motorcycle races are not like a classical music concert,’ in the sense that anything can happen in races, so I think having two riders capable of fighting for the title is the best thing at the moment.”
What does the arrival of Márquez in 2025 represent for you? Is it the realization of a goal you had?
“No, it is not a goal achieved. The goal is to win World Championships. Having Marc and Pecco allows us to try to achieve this difficult goal, because our rivals are also stronger with the riders from our teams this season, so it will be increasingly difficult to win next year as well.”
We know that your ideal would have been to keep them both. Márquez said a month ago that it would be enough for him to have the most updated bike, regardless of the color. Everything seemed simple: Márquez at Pramac and Martín with him. So, last Friday, Márquez seemed to change his mind. In short, what happened?
“Our goal was to keep both Martín and Márquez, and we knew from the beginning that it would be very complex. We tried until the end, until we realized it was no longer possible. The solution was to bet on Martín or Márquez. That was also a difficult decision, but in the end we opted for Marc.”
Márquez has titles and charisma. He is strong and charismatic. At Honda, he led the development of the bike. Now he has two world champions who may have different technical needs. How do you think they can be managed? How do you do it?
“From the point of view of bike development, I am not worried at all. We have our philosophy: we follow more than one rider and the development they prefer. I believe that taking all factors into consideration can be an advantage for everyone. Also, this year, Márquez was one of the riders who helped us improve. What really worries me is the sports management. There is a wonderful atmosphere inside the Ducati box, and our goal is to ensure that it continues like this next year as well.”
