Gigi Dall’Igna warns Ducati MotoGP advantage “has shrunk”

Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna says it’s time for renewed development work after the factory’s rivals filled four of the six rostrum places during the Czech MotoGP weekend.

Marc Marquez delivered a historic fifth consecutive Grand Prix and Sprint double for the factory Ducati squad, extending his runaway title lead to 120 points over brother Alex Marquez.

“Marc has scored five double wins in a row, the numbers speak for themselves,” Dall’Igna told Sky Italia.

“Pecco had a really good race, he was strong until the end. I hoped he could get on the podium because I honestly think he deserved it.”

But it was a mixed weekend for Ducati overall.

KTM riders Pedro Acosta and Enea Bastianini joined Marquez on the Sprint podium - after a phantom tyre pressure warning caused Francesco Bagnaia to back off - while Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and Acosta were Marquez’s closest rivals in the grand prix.

Marquez and Bagnaia (fourth) were also the only Ducatis to finish in the top ten, after Gresini’s Alex Marquez crashed out early and team-mate Fermin Aldeguer was demoted to eleventh by a post-race penalty.

Meanwhile, with VR46’s Franco Morbidelli injured, team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio - on the third factory-spec GP25 - took the chequered flag in a lowly 16th place, 24.729s behind Marc Marquez.

Ducati dominance diminishing

Dall’Igna acknowledged that Ducati’s technical advantage has diminished, with rivals benefiting from development concessions not available to the Bologna brand.

“The others have really raised their heads, so it seems like the right time to get back to work rather than think about vacation," he said.

“The advantage we had over our rivals at the start of the season has shrunk, so I think it's time to get back to studying during this summer break.

"Everyone else definitely has more concessions than us, starting with the number of [private testing] tyres available to develop the bikes. 

"So, definitely this year, we were very conservative in the developments we made at the start of the season, so it was somewhat predictable that there would be a levelling off in performance towards mid-season. 

"I think the time has come to find better solutions than the ones we have." 

Despite the ongoing gap to his team-mate, Dall’Igna praised Bagnaia’s form, especially after Saturday’s Sprint frustration.

“He was unlucky because of us, and I truly feel that responsibility,” Dall’Igna said.

“Still, pole position, a great Sprint yesterday, and a great race today – this weekend was probably his best so far.”

Bagnaia has openly voiced concerns over a lack of braking ability aboard the 2025 machine.

“We're gradually fixing these problems, even though they're clearly still there. There’s still work to be done, but we’re working hard with him; together, we’ll get through it.”

Bagnaia sits third in the standings, now a distant 169 points from team-mate Marquez.