Ducati, Tardozzi: "The priority is Marc Marquez, then we will think about Bagnaia"

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi confirmed in an interview with Motosport.com that the renewal of Marc Marquez will be the priority for the Borgo Panigale factory next season. “We said that the priority is to renew Marquez. Marc has very interesting offers on the table, of course. On a technical and economic level, we have an’opportunity, he knows us and we know him, this allows us to wait a little bit’ because we have a good feeling, but we still need a little bit’ of time to make a decision”.

Luca Franzosi

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“We hope he gets it soon and that is to continue with Ducati, of course. But he asked us for a little bit of time and we gave it to him”. So, it will be Pecco Bagnaia“s turn: “Once we know whether Marc will continue with us or not, we will think about the’other rider. What is clear is that if Marquez decides to leave, the priority will be to renew Bagnaia”. The Ducati manager remarked on the Catalan rider’s importance to the team.

“Before he came to Ducati I knew Marc was a great rider, I had no doubt. What I have been able to discover this year working with him is that he is even better as a person. From the human point of view, from the level of professionalism, from the level of relationship management, he is incredible. Above all, he is a leader. The rider cannot just be a champion, he has to be the leader inside the box, and he is that without even talking – explained Tardozzi – . I think he has given a lot to Ducati, a different vision, a calmness when there’s a problem, which in racing there always is, with an approach to difficult moments that shows that he is a great rider”.

The’eight-time world champion would also help Bagnaia on more than one occasion: “Marc told me to do or not to do certain things so as not to disturb him, because he was doing very well and he was worried about not disturbing Pecco’s serenity. I had never seen that in any other driver”.

“A behavior of helping and defending Pecco, trying to dampen his enthusiasm for his victories. I do not want to say at what time and where these two situations occurred, because it would not be fair, but he showed a way of being that, in my opinion, is that of a great person”.