Ducati boss lavishes praise on ‘unrivalled’ Marquez, ‘relief’ for Bagnaia

Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna was effusive in his praise for Marc Marquez following an Aragon MotoGP ‘full house’ that stamped his mark on the 2025 MotoGP World Championship.

The eight-time Grand Prix World Champion has been in devastating form at times during his first season in factory Ducati colours.

This was no more apparent at Motorland Aragon when Marquez swept the board with two wins, pole position and the fastest lap time in each practice session.

Though the double success raised his tally of wins to 11 from 16 races this season, Aragon nonetheless represented a return to form of sorts for Marquez having not triumphed in a full-length encounter since Qatar.

However, his emphatic performance in Aragon served to underline Marquez’s status as the hot favourite for this year’s title, a statement echoed by Dall’Igna when sharing his views on the weekend in a LinkedIn post.

“This resplendent Ducati podium makes Marc's victory shine even brighter in a race led from first to last lap, in a weekend dominated throughout: practice, qualifying rounds, Sprint and GP races, and with the fastest lap to boot.

“Unrivalled, a perfect weekend that enhances his talent, a disarming calmness and effortlessness that condenses yet another masterpiece, an easy victory that should not detract from the utter excellence that was displayed.

“Sunday Marc had definitely more in store and the feeling is that he could have dominated even further: on a track that is his very own, he was able to manage and push at the decisive moments, always keeping everything under control, imposing himself with a rational and not just instinctive approach, like an absolute champion.”

Bagnaia boosts ‘team morale’ with podium return

Marquez wasn’t the only Ducati Lenovo Team rider to receive high praise either with Dall’Igna taking time to celebrate Pecco Bagnaia’s confidence-boosting return to the podium in third place.

The Italian had been on a run of four non-scores from five races, results that have plunged him onto the outer fringes of the title battle.

However, while Bagnaia still ceded points to Marquez in the main Aragon MotoGP - leaving him 93 points shy of his team-mate in the overall standings after eight rounds - Dall’Igna was encouraged by the gritty response from the under-pressure two-time World Champion.

“Speaking of champions, what it takes to make me really happy is also a rediscovered Pecco, his reaction and, at last, his smile.

“He fought, held his ground, rode well and even came close to second place, vying for the positions that count, among the protagonists where he always should be.

“Sunday Pecco regained the confidence and trust in himself and the bike that lately had given way to discouragement and disappointment.

“It is indeed a relief, a third place that is worth so much, a position that represents a great deal more from a technical and mental point of view, a step that provides morale to the whole Team, which deserves it so much.”

Aragon marked a return to the top step for Ducati having seen its bid to break Honda’s record for the longest streak of premier class wins scuppered by Johann Zarco’s success for LCR Honda at Le Mans before Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi triumphed at Silverstone.

Locking out the top three in both the Sprint and the feature races with both Marquez brothers, rookie Fermin Aldeguer and Bagnaia, Dall’Igna was delighted to see Ducati bounce back with interest in Spain.

“Between Marc and Pecco, again Sunday, we find an excellent Alex Marquez. Well, yes, an incredible consistency of results, a great talent that is growing fast in experience and ability to manage his resources.

“Finally, Morbidelli and Aldeguer: the tussle between the young rookie already firmly established in MotoGP and the class of the veteran who has deservedly returned to the top spots was most exciting.

“All of them well represent the large Ducati family and the commendable work of their respective Teams, in a general sharing of enthusiasm, innovation, commitment and solutions.”