Ducati is experiencing the best moment in its history, both as a manufacturer, which is breaking sales records and penetrating new markets, and on the sporting front, conquering the MotoGP and WSBK world titles in one fell swoop last year, what ever succeeded before, A state of complete happiness that is also extending to the current season, in which Pecco Bagnaia and Alvaro Bautista are confidently defending the title conquered in 2022, especially in the case of the Spaniard, clear leader of the World Championship for bikes derived from series.
At last weekend’s Misano round, Bautista scored a hat-trick of victories, the fourth in a season in which he won 14 of the 15 races he contested.
“We’ve never won MotoGP and Superbike in the same year, and this season has started just as well,” Claudio Domenicali told Sky Sport TV.
Despite winning the title last year and leading the premier class this year, the Borgo Panigale boss is quick to admit that “maybe we haven’t collected everything we could, but Pecco is leading the World Championship, Marco Bezzecchi he’s one point behind, we arrive at Mugello with good cards to play”, leaving a slight shadow of doubt on the fact that the satisfaction in the Bologna offices is as absolute as that in the pits with his team boss.
An idyllic scenario in which, for months, there have been rumors of a hypothesis that Jorge Lorenzo himself amplified with a statement according to which Marc Márquez would join Ducati sooner or later. A hypothesis that, according to the Ducati CEO, does not fit into his philosophy.
“I think it wouldn’t be the right thing for us, we have an amazing group of riders,” he said.
“Pecco is an extraordinary talent, underestimated. He still makes mistakes, but if he hadn’t made them we’d be here complaining that the championship is monotonous”, recalls Domenicali with regards to Pecco’s mistakes, in Austin or Le Mans. “Maybe it’s a strategy to keep the show going,” he adds with a laugh.
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Marc Fleury
“We not only have Bagnaia, but also Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin and other youngsters to develop. Marc has an extraordinary talent, he doesn’t have to prove anything, he’s doing very well. But Ducati draws its strength from working with its riders, from family spirit. The results are proving us right and we will continue like this”, is the message he wants to convey.
A message that fits totally into the speech of Gigi Dall’Igna, Ducati’s technical director, and the team’s general manager, Paolo Ciabatti, who in February, when the first rumors of Márquez’s possible interest in Ducati began circulating, he assured Motorsport.com that “the time for Márquez to sign for Ducati has passed”.
