Gigi Dall’Igna ‘knew Desmosedici project peaked, so he went to get’ Marc Marquez

A respected veteran in the MotoGP paddock has weighed in on Ducati’s controversial decision to promote Marc Marquez to its factory team — and now admits the move has been vindicated.

Ducati made headlines by signing six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez from Gresini Racing to partner Francesco Bagnaia in the factory team for the 2025 season.

It was a bold and costly decision that saw Ducati lose Jorge Martin to Aprilia, Enea Bastianini to Tech3 KTM, and also resulted in the departure of their long-time satellite team, Pramac, which switched to Yamaha.

Theory that Gigi Dall'Igna signed Marc Marquez to overcome GP25 limitations

Carlo Pernat, a veteran MotoGP manager and representative of Enea Bastianini, was initially critical of the move. He felt it went against Ducati’s long-standing philosophy of developing young, home-grown talent.

However, in a recent interview with MOW Magazine, Pernat acknowledged that Ducati’s strategy was ultimately correct.

“I have never hidden that I was very critical of Ducati, because taking Marc Marquez meant denying the policy of home-bred young people that they had been carrying out in Borgo Panigale for years.

“But today, it must be said that Gigi Dall'Igna was right. The numbers and results speak for themselves.

“Evidently, Gigi knew that the Desmosedici project had reached its peak. It’s clear the GP25 is an imperfect bike.

“Gigi probably knew that beyond the GP24, it would be impossible to improve and very easy to regress. So, he went to get the rider who can make the difference.

“It doesn't mean the bike was made for Marquez — that’s a misconception — but knowing they risked a technical step backward, they chose a rider capable of taking two steps forward on his own.”

And the results back it up.

Marquez has dominated the first half of the 2025 season, winning 19 out of 24 races so far — including 11 sprint races and eight grand prix victories.

He heads into the summer break with 381 points and a comfortable 120-point lead over his brother Alex Marquez, who is racing for Gresini on a GP24.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia — expected to be Marquez’s main rival — has struggled with the front-end feel of the GP25.

The two-time champion has managed only one win at COTA and a pole position at Brno, currently sitting third in the standings, 168 points adrift.