The hum in the paddock of MotoGP is incessant, and everyone is waiting with great expectation for what Ducati’s final decision will be. The Italian brand, which dominates the premier class and receives compliments from the rest of the competitors, is considering who to place as a partner for Pecco Bagnaia, the current two-time world champion, in the factory’s official team garage in 2025. The three candidates for the seat most coveted on the grid, Jorge Martín, Marc Márquez and Enea Bastianini, have strong, although different, arguments to defend their candidacy. Amid crossed statements and messages with seconds in the press room, all eyes fall on Gigi Dall’Igna, who will determine the outcome of this story.
The general director of Ducati Corse receives EL PAÍS in his office and recognizes that the matter is extremely complicated, although he maintains a calm approach. “In the past, I have had much worse headaches. It is a problem, yes, but it is a good problem to have, ultimately,” comments the 57-year-old Italian engineer, despite the commotion generated. “We can take pride in having reached this point, this means that we have worked very well in the past to be at this level and have to choose between the best drivers,” he adds. The three candidates and Bagnaia currently occupy the first four positions in the contest, led by Martín.
The man from Madrid has raised his order these days and hinted that he will not wait for the decision if it drags on for too long. He has been claiming his definitive jump to the official team for two years, and he assures that all the factories have contacted him. Márquez, for his part, also recognizes contacts with several brands. Both, despite pretending to be interesting, desire above all the red motorcycle that Bastianini has used until now. Between injuries and a slower adaptation than expected, the continued option is practically ruled out, although his fourth place in the competition, tied on points with Márquez, shows that this year he is not that far away in terms of performance.
Dall’Igna recognizes that the ideal solution, keeping his three riders within the factory ecosystem, which has eight bikes on the grid, is currently a chimera. “The idea is to keep all three, but I think it is impossible,” he says. Inevitably, one of the protagonists of this soap opera will end up injured and will choose to abandon ship. On a public and private level, the message inside Martín’s garage is all red or nothing, although he has already threatened the same thing in the past and continues to defend the Pramac colors. Márquez, a strategist like few others before the microphones, said I said and now Diego says: impossible to explain his true intentions.
The human factor
“Any choice will attract criticism, but it must be made,” said Claudio Domenicali, CEO of the company, in a recent interview with the Corriere della Sera. Between him, Dall’Igna and Mauro Grassilli, the brand’s sporting director, they will make a decision very early. Although it was speculated that it could be before the Italian GP, which takes place next weekend, it is most likely that the final ruling will come after the Mugello event. “The decision will come soon, but then contracts are always complicated, and negotiations can take longer than expected. We will need time to apply the idea, make it a reality and then communicate it to the public,” details Dall’Igna.
The engineer, widely recognized as the guru of the winning Bologna factory project, affirms that the decisive factor, the most important, will be the human one. “Pilots are people, and you can’t judge someone as a mere number. Statistics are important, of course, but you have to consider many other factors. You have to analyze everything well, understand every detail, before making a decision like that,” he explains. “I am an engineer, yes, but also the project manager. The main part of my job is working with people, the entire group that makes up Ducati. The human factor, the team spirit, is one of the most important elements to achieve results,” he concludes.
For those who put on the table the media pull of an eight-time world champion as their main argument, it has a clear message: “The best marketing asset is to be the first in the future.” Who will bring them closer to that goal together with Bagnaia? From the Ducati garage they indicate that the resolution may be delayed, at least at a public level, several days or weeks after the next appointment in Italy.
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