Gigi Dall’Igna faced intense scrutiny regarding the intricate aspects of Marc Marquez’s impending arrival at Ducati.
The eight-time world champion is set to join Gresini in 2024, signing a one-year contract to ride a ’23-spec Desmosedici. However, uncertainties persist regarding how the upcoming year will unfold and what lies ahead for Marquez beyond that.
When questioned about rumors suggesting not every executive at the manufacturer is pleased with Marquez’s arrival, the Ducati general manager responded:“When an eight-time world champion wants to get on your bike, you can’t not be happy, because it’s probably even better than winning the World Championship. “That Marquez wants to get on the Ducati gives me extreme pleasure. I’m really happy.”
There was a slight chance of Marquez briefly joining Pramac before finalizing terms with Gresini. However, was there ever contemplation of placing him directly into the factory team?
“At this moment, we have so many riders and everything is so well organised that this reasoning could not be raised,” Dall’Igna said.
“I would say no. You cannot think about putting Marquez in the official team.”
Was there any consideration given to providing him with a bike of the latest specifications?
“There is no possibility of carrying out this idea because everything has happened too late,” he replied.
“It was useless to think something like that.”
In 2025, Marquez, along with the majority of the grid, which includes Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, is slated to become a free agent.
This implies that each manufacturer can explore new possibilities, and every rider has the freedom to weigh their options.
“We know the complexity of managing Marc,” Dall’Igna said regarding his long-term future.
“We are in a really great situation at the rider level, because everyone is doing very well.
“We’ll see what happens. I am immensely happy with the riders we have at Ducati at the moment.”
Dall’Igna responded to concerns that Marquez’s high-profile entrance could disrupt the dynamics within MotoGP’s premier team.
“We know that there is some risk and that we will have to be good at managing this and the difficulties that arise well,” he replied.
“It is never easy, because when you already have two riders with the same bike who are competing for the World Championship, it is not easy, because the situation is somewhat explosive.
“But for next year we will have to be attentive to manage the relationships between several riders well.”
A captivating element of Marquez joining Ducati will be the response within Italy.
Marquez engaged in intense battles with Valentino Rossi, who was then enjoying significant success with Yamaha. However, certain Italian fans might still harbor resentment towards the Spaniard.
“We must keep in mind that Marc does not have a contract with Ducati,” Dall’Igna said.
“Marc has a contract with Gresini and we are oblivious to this type of reasoning.
“But as I see it, Marc is one of the most important riders in the history of world motorcycling.”