Ducati warns of “insidious” MotoGP rivals despite Marc Marquez “supremacy”

Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna has warned of “increasingly insidious and fearsome” MotoGP rivals despite “supremacy that overshadows mere wins” for Marc Marquez in 2025.

The Italian manufacturer is well on its way to yet another dominant championship victory in 2025, as it comfortably leads the riders’ and manufacturers’ standings.

At the summer break, Ducati has won 10 of the opening 12 rounds, as well as all of the sprints, with the nearest non-Ducati in the riders’ standings 225 points away and Aprilia 243 adrift in the manufacturers’ rankings.

Marc Marquez scored a fifth successive sprint/grand prix double last weekend at the Czech Grand Prix, bringing his total to eight for the year, to extend his championship lead to 120 points.

Gigi Dall'Igna credits supreme Marc Marquez

Dall’Igna heaped praise on the 32-year-old, who “shows humility in the awareness he has of needing to still grow and improve”.

“Eighth win of the season out of 12 races, 70th in [his career], fifth sprint/GP double in a row, Marc is the first Ducati rider to achieve these heights, having won all but one of the Saturday sprint races,” he said.

“This is a supremacy that overshadows mere wins, and speaks volumes about the great work we're doing in bike-rider symbiosis, making us justly proud.

“A well-deserved tribute to what is yet further proof of Marc’s amazing class, overwhelming and, above all, smart; always knowing how the different race situations and conditions need to be managed, whether seizing the race lead from first to last lap in absolute command, as in Germany, or when starting in a more cautious manner, to then step up to maximum pace at the GP half way mark, keeping everyone at a safe distance without taking any risks, as he did at Brno.

“He optimises every circumstance, whether in dry or wet conditions, at the crucial moments bringing out the best from the bike and from himself, combining savvy and instinct, modulating the experience of a champion and the inexhaustible craving for victory: yes, a champion who, precisely for being one, shows humility in the awareness he has of needing to still grow and improve.”

Despite this, Dall’Igna has cautioned about the rising threat of Ducati’s rivals following the Czech Grand Prix, with Aprilia and KTM on the podium behind Marquez.

“The season’s halfway point has now been reached: now for well-deserved holidays, coming just at the right time and suiting everyone.

“This is the opportunity for recovering precious mental energy.

“Energy to be eventually pitched back on the track against opponents that are becoming increasingly insidious and fearsome, something that is no longer ‘breaking news’.”