Dall’Igna: Marc Marquez ‘always scary’, but Bagnaia can ‘make history’

Those of the words of Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna, during an interview with Marca.com in which he also names Moto3 champion Izan Guevara as having caught his eye for the future.

After winning 125cc, 250cc and WorldSBK titles with Aprilia, Dall’Igna was poached by Ducati to resurrect its flagging MotoGP project at the end of 2013.

While a Dall’Igna Desmosedici first graced the top step of the podium in 2016, the title remained just out of reach, with Andrea Dovizioso world championship runner-up from 2017-2019, then Bagnaia in 2021.

But it all came together in 2022 when Bagnaia overcame a record five non-scores and a 91-point deficit to Fabio Quartararo to finally hand Dall’Igna the title missing from his illustrious engineering career.

Rather than criticising Bagnaia’s errors, which saw him crash out of four races, Dall’Igna sees the points lost as a sign of just how dominant the young Italian can become with a little ‘fine tuning’.

“Pecco is someone who can make history, really, because just think about how the 2022 World Championship was: he came out of two or three errors and could have won it well in advance,” Dall’Igna told Marca.

“That's why I say that Pecco has little to do, fine-tuning every little thing here and there to truly become... he's already winning races in a row, but if he gets rid of a few small imperfections he can make the difference in an incredible way.”

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But Dall’Igna is also wary of the threat posed by a fully fit Marc Marquez, the rider who proved the main obstacle between Ducati and MotoGP title glory during the Dovizioso years.

“Marc Márquez is always scary. How can I say that Marc Márquez is not scary?” Dall’Igna said. “Márquez has shown to be someone who has the determination, the strength, a riding style that should scare you.

“Someone who is not afraid of Marc Márquez is just crazy. It's not that I'm saying that Marc doesn't scare us, but I'm saying that we have a rider [Bagnaia] who, if he gets rid of a ‘crack’, can make a difference like Márquez did.”

While some believe Bagnaia’s title glory, Ducati’s first since Casey Stoner in 2007, means the factory no longer needs to try and sign the #93, Dall’Igna didn’t close the door.

“In life you can never know or say. Perhaps it is Pecco who is leaving [Ducati]. We know that we have a two-year contract, we know that our relationship has always been wonderful. Even in moments of difficulty for each other, we have known how to help each other and find a solution. That's why I think it would be difficult, but... in life you never know.”

Dall’Igna added that Bagnaia had first caught his eye during his Moto3 days on an uncompetitive Mahindra. 'Pecco' went on to win the Moto2 title in 2018 and joined MotoGP with Pramac Ducati the following year, being promoted to the factory team in 2021.

“I chose Pecco because he spent two years in Moto3 with a motorcycle that was not competitive and he won races,” Dall’Igna said. “I like those riders, who don't complain, who always try to take home results regardless of whether they have the best or the worst bike.

“For me, that is one of the characteristics that champions have to have, which I also saw in Lorenzo and other drivers who later left their mark. I always say it, that's when I knew that Pecco could do great things.”

Asked if he sees such a rider in Moto3 now, Dall’Igna responded: “Izan Guevara is another rider who, with perspective, can make a difference because he has also done incredible things.”