Ducati: Dall’Igna Calls Marc Marquez a Genius: “No Harm Done”

Ducati had a weekend to forget in Indonesia, and Marc Marquez’s experience and brilliance were essential to minimizing the damage—or rather, to eliminating it entirely, given that Jorge Martin’s lead in the standings remains at just two points.

“We limited the damage thanks to sheer skill and experience on a track we knew would be difficult—perhaps the worst for us—and certainly one that favored our rivals,” said General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna. In fact, on this track, Marc had never before managed to cross the finish line in a Sunday race. Yes, Marc really showed a lot of brilliance this weekend: being ready when it matters most to snatch an unexpected first place in the Sprint and demonstrating the intelligence needed to handle critical moments when the bike isn’t the strongest on the track.”

“We’ve overcome a major hurdle without suffering any setbacks. In fact, we now feel even stronger and better prepared.” Dall’Igna now looks forward to the season finale with confidence: “Every single race is now crucial for the final showdown for the title: it may sound like a cliché, but it’s absolutely true. There has never been such a narrow gap at this stage of the world championship: it’s a real spectacle. May the best rider win, with the sportsmanship and fairness that our beautiful sport deserves.”

On the difficulties faced by the Ducati riders: “Clearly, it wasn’t an easy weekend for us, but in my opinion, it was positive. It gives us new energy—not the energy of a victory, of course, but the energy that comes from seizing opportunities, gritting our teeth, and earning valuable points, even while on the defensive. That was exactly the case with our victory in the Sprint race and our sixth-place finish in Sunday’s main race. Although the latter may seem like a modest result, when added to Saturday’s victory, it allows us to move forward from here without having changed our gap in the championship in the slightest.”