Gigi Dall’Igna ‘not throwing in the towel’ on Pecco Bagnaia’s MotoGP misery

Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna says he “will try with all my strength” to help Pecco Bagnaia rediscover his lost MotoGP form and “be the champion that he is”.

The double world champion’s 2025 season has been difficult, but in recent weeks it seems to have hit its nadir.

A tough Hungarian Grand Prix has given way to an even worse Catalan Grand Prix, with Pecco Bagnaia only 21st in qualifying and a second off the pace of Marc Marquez in the sprint down in 14th.

Hopeful pre-weekend that a radical set-up change in Hungary would help him fight towards the front at Barcelona, Bagnaia is at a loss to understand what more he can do to improve.

It led to a comment from team boss Davide Tardozzi earlier this weekend that Ducati needed Bagnaia to “help us to help him”.

Following Marquez’s win in the sprint, which sealed a sixth consecutive constructors’ title for Ducati, Dall’Igna rallied around Bagnaia.

“Difficult is a bad word,” he told Sky Italy.

“Difficult means that someone can't take it anymore and throws in the towel.

“Honestly, I'm not the type to throw in the towel.

“Even though we haven't succeeded so far, and in fact, we may have gotten worse compared to the beginning of the season, I will try with all my strength to help Pecco find a way to regain his feeling with the bike and return to being the champion that he is.”

Asked what he can do, Dall’Igna responded: “That's a complicated question. If I had an answer, we would have done better today.

“It's clear that, unfortunately, there is no magic formula for success here.

“We need to objectively evaluate what has been done so far and find something different.

“But I believe that it all starts with the assumption that we believe in Pecco and he believes in us. I'm sure that sooner or later we will find the solution.”

Read more: Pace analysis highlights extent of Pecco Bagnaia's Barcelona sprint struggles

Amid Bagnaia’s struggles, much has been made about the GP25 being the root of the problem.

But Dall’Igna is convinced Marc Marquez has been able to find the success has this year because of his confidence on the machine rather than any major set-up or riding difference.

“In my opinion, it's more about the confidence you have in the bike, which is completely different,” he said.

“Marc has been doing very well since the beginning of the year, and so his confidence is growing race after race.

“The other two had some difficulties, especially at the start of the world championship, and they still need to find the confidence.

“This makes them struggle a bit more, especially in the early sessions.”