Gigi Dall’Igna: “This is the beauty of racing”

Ducati’s third MotoGP rider’s title in a row, won by Jorge Martin at Barcelona on Sunday, was surely a bittersweet experience.

While Ducati ‘won’ with Martin and the Pramac team, they also lost with reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia and the factory Lenovo squad.

Making matters more complicated, Martin was turned down by Ducati as Bagnaia’s team-mate next season in favour of Marc Marquez, sending Martin - and now almost certainly the #1 plate - straight into the arms of Aprilia.

To Ducati’s credit, and against the expectation of many, they continued to support Martin’s title challenge against Bagnaia equally to the very end. 

That included a halt on further technical upgrades, notably a 2025 chassis liked by Bagnaia at the Misano test, to avoid influencing the rider battle.

Indeed, of the two, it was Bagnaia (at Le Mans) who suffered a terminal technical problem in a race.

But it will be the Italian’s seven other non-scores, plus two other races where he managed just 1 or 2 points, that will weigh most heavily over the winter – after a season where Bagnaia won eleven grands prix, seven sprints and still finished ten points short of Martin.

Dall’Igna’s first words were for Martin, a rider he plucked from the arms of KTM in the Moto2 category for a Desmosedici debut in 2021.

Martin has been with Pramac ever since, winning eight grands prix, finishing runner-up to Bagnaia last season, then becoming the first satellite world champion of the MotoGP era.

Dall’Igna described Martin’s season as ‘near perfect’.

“As easy as it may have looked on paper, Jorge (Martín) did a wonderful job in keeping it together and bring the title home after what was a near perfect season,” Dall’Igna said.

“I’d like to congratulate him and thank him for taking a Desmosedici GP to the ultimate goal once again.”

Turning to his own defeated champion, Dall’Igna hinted at the missed opportunities this season, but added “this is the beauty of racing”:

“Pecco’s numbers have been fantastic this year and his talent is unquestionable: unfortunately, things sometimes don’t go as we’d liked, and results are never a given, but this is the beauty of racing,”

Ducati is not only bidding farewell to Martin and Bagnaia’s team-mate Enea Bastianini, but the Pramac team, which is switching to Yamaha from 2025.

“I’d also like to thank Enea for these two seasons together, and I’m happy he was able to get back to display all his potential once again, after what surely wasn’t an easy 2024,” Dall’Igna said.

Praising the Pramac partnership, Dall’Igna added: “Today’s victory is also, or rather above all, the best way to say goodbye to Pramac Racing, a formidable group of professionals with whom we have worked in harmony for 20 years: To each of them a very strong hug, starting with our friend Paolo Campinoti.

“2024 was a stratospheric year for Ducati, in which we broke the record for victories and the record for podiums, with the cherry on top of having placed 8 Desmosedici GP in front of everyone in the Sprint Race in Thailand.

“I want to thank all the men and women of Ducati Corse who work hard and with passion every day to achieve great results like the one we are celebrating today. Forza Ducati!”

Marc Marquez will make his factory Ducati debut alongside Bagnaia at Tuesday’s post-race test.

“Now it is time to celebrate, before starting preparations for the new season, with the goal to continue to improve and remain as the reference point constructors-wise in MotoGP," Dall’Igna concluded.