On paper, the result of the first GP at Misano could not have been better for Ducati. Bagnaia stood on the podium on what looked like a Yamaha fiefdom. Dovizioso leads the championship. Not all that glitters is gold as Andrea, Borgo Panigales challenger in the championship, suffered more than expected and the lead was a gift from Quartararo who crashed.
Gigi Dall’Igna, the man in charge of the Rossa is the right man to talk about things and he did so in an exclusive interview with us. Above you can see the video of the chat with the General Manager of Ducati Corse. You can read it here below.
Gigi, Dovizioso is leading the world championship, but it was Bagnaia who drove fast in Misano. What were your impressions
“First of all, I always like to look halfway at the glass and am satisfied with Pecco’s race. He had an exceptional race too and especially considering he was back from a month-long hiatus with a serious knee injury. In in my opinion he almost made a masterpiece, Especially in his maturity, because he started quietly on Friday, made progress on Saturday and managed the race he completed on Sunday. I congratulate him, I did not expect him to succeed this way. “
“Misunderstandings between me and Dovizioso, but now we need cooperation to win the title.”
Now let’s move on to Dovizioso.
“We lead the championship. It is true that Dovi encountered some more difficulties, but it is also true that we are going to have a test and the data of a rider who quickly rode the Ducati to study the bike and the style and Way to improve how to drive it because obviously it will be a combination of the two. I’m particularly happy to be at the top of the drivers’ championship. I think it is important that together we find the right motivations to achieve the right harmony in the garage that will allow us to bring home the best result. “”
Speaking of the climate in the garage: How is the situation today after Dovizioso’s farewell?
“As we said earlier, I don’t want to talk so much about our current situation. Of course there has been some misunderstanding between us, but we are both professionals who know we have an important goal ahead of us and that is perhaps more achievable now than many other times. So we have to do this last part of the year together with the greatest possible cooperation and synergy. “
If Dovizioso won the World Cup, would it be bad to see him take the desired number 1 with him?
“I sincerely wish he wins and so goes. I hope to be able to help him achieve this goal. “
“Bagnaia has taken a step towards the factory team, but we will wait before we make up our minds.”
Speaking of next year, the way you described Bagnaia before seems like a works team rider …
“(Laughs) Sure, he had an important race and that’s going in that direction. We’d like to wait two more races before we decide because it seems right for both drivers. It seemed right to wait for Pecco to give him the best possible rating after his wonderful race at Jerez 2 that was hampered by one of our problems and we want to continue to do so. He certainly took a step in the right direction but we will wait after the Barcelona GP to decide. “
“Disappointed not to see Marquez on the track, but now a lot of drivers can fight for victory.”
This is a strange world championship, Dovizioso leads the championship with only 76 points after 6 races and this has never happened in the last twenty years. Did Marquez’s absence make the championship good or bad?
“It seems almost unsporting to say it was a good thing because we’re definitely talking about the championship benchmark. I also have to say that the races are definitely really great and spectacular. Lots of different brands are fighting for victory and lots of drivers who can get important results: that is definitely good for all manufacturers and the championship. To be honest, not seeing Marquez, not seeing certain athletic gestures that only he could do, from the point of view of the pure enthusiast, I’m disappointed. “
It’s a young rider championship, the direction Ducati has taken for its future. Where did this change come from?
“The new Michelin rear tire is certainly much better suited for riders who have just finished the Moto2 race. because it requires a similar driving style. The drivers with this recent experience have an advantage. “
Next year Leopard could replace Avintia, so there would also be room for Luca Marini …
“We are in the field of pure, albeit interesting, hypotheses. We currently have a contract with Avintia for 2021 as well. There are rumors about it and it is not speculation. We will follow what will happen to find the best possible solution also from the point of view of the drivers and the teams ”.
“Our inventions? I’ve never had a big budget, I’ve learned lateral thinking.”
In the past three years you’ve come close to being the world champion, you haven’t won it, but you have certainly been the most copied. The spoon, the wings, the lowering device … when do you think of certain inventions?
“I’m the General Manager of Ducati Corse, but that doesn’t mean that all the ideas that come up and are applied to the bikes come from me. I believe I have the ability to inspire everyone who makes up my group to come up with innovative ideas. I urge them to find solutions that are not trivial. Let’s call them lateral solutions. This is because in all of my experiences in the racing world I have never faced really massive budgets. I learned to come up with different solutions, pushing myself for different reasons, to bring home important results. “
Dovizioso joked that these motorcycles have too much electronics. You can’t develop the engine due to regulatory constraints, but is that a push to push other aspects?
“I’m a technician, so I want the opportunity to work on all aspects of the bike. But you have to be objective and understand what you can and can’t do in life. The world has changed a lot this year and what What you could do before will not be possible for some time. I believe that the compromise in freezing some components of the motorcycle helped this championship survive and also many independent teams were able to negotiate decent contracts with manufacturers to make motorcycles that are still competitive and that allow us to have an exciting championship like this, but it is clear that we still have some areas where we can and must develop and they are important parts of the bike. Remember that a manufacturer, especially a manufacturer like Ducati, not only races to show off its technology, but also applies that technology to production motorcycles in the years to come. This is an important goal that Ducati Corse and Ducati themselves have. Many of the technologies we have developed have been used in racing bikes that anyone can use and buy from dealers. “
Would winning a world title with a satellite team like Pramac have the same value to you as winning a factory team?
“For me it is important that a Ducati wins the world championship. Then it is clear that we have sponsors to whom we are very attached and on whom we are in some ways dependent. So it is clear that we want more to give important satisfaction to these partners who help us in this difficult task. “
Do you think this year’s calendar will work, or would it have been better to have fewer races with more spacing?
“I think this calendar was the only possible solution. As always, things have to be viewed from all angles. If you only look at the sporting aspect, it is certainly correct that drivers who may have physical problems with this calendar are more likely to be disadvantaged. On the other hand, we also need to think about the efforts that Dorna is making to help the independent teams, who are the weakest part of the system and who, thanks to the fact that we participate in a large number of races, can make important contributions from the organizer. I believe that without these contributions several teams could not survive and that Dorna did an excellent job managing the championship. “
“Lorenzo Tester? We are happy with Pirro, we could hardly find anyone better than him.”
The man we now call the ghost – Jorge Lorenzo – is missing from this World Cup. At this point can we drive him out or could he be a great tester?
“I would say we can’t drive Jorge out (laughs, Ed.). We decided to follow a line dedicated to young riders and I think this is more our style and also more sensible. We are delighted to have Michele Pirro, who does an excellent job in both MotoGP and SBK in many ways, as well as helping our riders. We couldn’t find a better test driver than him. “
Today there are the tests in Misano.
“They will certainly be important because they will be the only ones with the regular drivers all year round.”
And radio communication with the pilots is being tested. What do you think about it?
“We won’t talk to the drivers, but the direction of the race Communicating problems on the line like a red flag. That’s how I look at it something in favor of security and so it is the right thing “.
It will be difficult to choose the right time to deliver the message without disturbing it.
“But you have to remember that sometimes red flags cannot be seen or can be seen too late. It seems to me to be an additional help for the driver when it comes to mastering a situation that can be difficult or dangerous.”
Would you also like to speak to the drivers directly, as is the case in Formula 1?
“I see it as difficult. We are still a long way from doing this. “