‘It’s important to have two riders who can win the championship; much can happen’ – Gigi

In recent years, Ducati has had a policy of promoting riders within MotoGP, moving talents from the satellite team to the factory team, such as current double champion Francesco Bagnaia, as well as Danilo Petrucci, Enea Bastianini, and Jack Miller – all of whom were developed in a satellite team before making the leap to the official team.

None of these riders had significant achievements or a distinguished record before, but they all demonstrated their talent and worth. The hiring of Marc Márquez breaks this policy of rider development, with Ducati opting for a six-time premier class champion (and an eight-time world champion in total).

In an interview with SPEEDWEEK.com, Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna emphasized that at this stage of the project, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer needs two riders who can be champions:

– Our goal was to have another champion in the team, who can win the World Championship. We’ve come this far now; it’s important to have two riders who can win the championship. As Max Biaggi once said, motorcycle racing is not a classical music concert. Much can happen, especially with the new regulations, with the Sprint races, and everything else.

The Italian engineer believes that Bagnaia and Márquez are on a similar level, but there is one quality that stands out in the Spaniard: ‘He is particularly good in left-hand corners. In braking, I think Pecco and Marc are on the same level – sometimes one is better, sometimes the other’.