MotoGP, Dall’Igna: “Oliveira? Ducati likes him, but it didn’t come together with Gresini”

Eight pole positions and six wins is what Ducati has tallied during the first part of the season, with no less than four riders placing in the top seven, but the fight for the MotoGP title is not as rosy as the Borgo Panigale manufacturer might have hoped. Factory rider Francesco Bagnaia, for whom expectations were so high, currently lies 66 points behind leader Fabio Quartararo. 

Dall'Igna comments on the start of Bagnaia’s championship (and more)

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Interviewed by German website Speedweek, Ducati Corse General Director, Gigi Dall'Igna, confirms: “The most important thing is to have a competitive bike. The situation is not as we’d like right now…” In terms of rideability though, the situation has clearly improved, with eight riders aboard the red machine, but Dall’Igna clarifies: “Fundamentally, it’s not our goal to have many riders. When you start a career in MotoGP with a young rider, you don’t know what will happen. But in the end we’re quite pleased with the results our talents have achieved. This is the reality.” Although he doesn’t hide that Bagnaia’s uphill start was “one of the problems”.

All energies focused on the rider’s title: "You never know what might happen"

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Of the three titles on the table, Dall’Igna admits: “Winning the rider’s championship is the most important thing”. And he adds that, after ten years at Ducati, the goal is still to score the title with the Italian manufacturer. Without lowering his guard this season: “You never know what might happen. We’ll try until the very end".

Another rider who was set to join the Ducati ranks, on the Gresini team, was Miguel Oliveira, a very interesting proposal in Dall’Igna’s eyes:  “We’d have been happy to have him ride our bike. He’s a rider I really like. Not just me, everyone at Ducati likes his riding style and his mental attitude. He was definitely one of the best options”. But the negotiations didn’t work out: “The discussion was between Oliveira and Gresini Racing, not Ducati. The team had to take the final decision”. Young Alex Marquez will arrive in his place, the Spaniard ready to put his three years at Honda behind him.

Traslated by Heather Watson

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