Francesco Bagnaia’s capacity to manage pressure empowered him to surpass Jorge Martin, who was deemed ‘faster,’ in the latter portion of the MotoGP season.
Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna expressed his viewpoint as his Desmosedici machines secured victory in 17 out of the 20 Grand Prix races this year.
In contrast to the 2022 MotoGP season, where Bagnaia clinched the title by defeating Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, this year’s championship unfolded uniquely. The top three contenders—Bagnaia, Martin, and Marco Bezzecchi—all rode Ducatis.
Bagnaia maintained a lead over his younger competitors until a significant crash at Barcelona coincided with Martin discovering an optimal setup on the GP23. Martin’s subsequent surge briefly placed him in the title lead, but Bagnaia navigated through the challenges and secured his second MotoGP crown in the Valencia finale.
“In my opinion, it was a difficult end of the year for him, starting from Barcelona,” Dall’Igna said of Bagnaia’s season. “Jorge was for sure faster than him in many circuits. But for me, Pecco dealt with the pressure well during the season and this is something really important.”
Bagnaia and Martin were part of a group of six diverse Ducati riders who secured victories in grand prix races this season. The Italian factory dominated by securing both the riders’ and constructors’ titles, while Pramac claimed the teams’ championship.
“It was an amazing season for us. Some numbers are honestly unbelievable and we are really, really proud of the job we did,” Dall’Igna said.
“I want to say many thanks to the riders, first of all, because they are unbelievable and also all the Ducati Corse employees because they also did a fantastic job during the season.
“For sure we improved quite a lot the bike, above all in some areas where our competitors were good. For example, KTM at the beginning of the season was better than our bike at the starts. So many thanks to the Ducati Corse employees.
“It was a difficult year because we had two riders fighting together for the championship,” Dall’Igna added. “We had to give them both the best possibilities to try and win the championship and stay an equal distance between the two.
“For sure, for us, it’s better if Pecco wins at the end, because our sponsors are really important for Ducati Corse. But we have to be sporting, give both of them the best possibilities and that’s what we did.”