Dall’Igna: “Staying at the top” of MotoGP “never a foregone conclusion”

Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna has warned that staying at the top of MotoGP “is never a foregone conclusion,” after the Italian manufacturer bounced back from a difficult weekend in Australia.

Ducati has won the MotoGP riders’ title for the past four seasons and is unbeaten in the constructors’ for the last six seasons in a row.

But with newly crowned champion Marc Marquez missing Phillip Island - and the remaining 2025 rounds - due to injury, Ducati suffered its worst weekend in recent history in Australia.

Qualifying saw the first front row without a Ducati rider since 2020, followed by the first-ever Sprint race without a Desmosedici on the podium.

A grand prix runner-up finish for VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio between the Aprilias of Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi salvaged some pride, but the factory team failed to score a single point.

Francesco Bagnaia was 19th in the Sprint before crashing out of the grand prix, where Marc Marquez’s replacement Michele Pirro finished last.

“After Australia, we really needed to get back to the top, also to remind ourselves, as was so evident last Sunday, that staying at the top is never a foregone conclusion, but can only but stem from constant commitment,” Dall’Igna wrote on Linked In.

Much to Ducati’s relief, Bagnaia was back on form at Sepang. The Italian claimed pole position and a Sprint victory before a puncture ended his hopes of a podium finish in the grand prix.

For Dall’Igna, the most encouraging sign was that “for the first time this year,” the team successfully turned around a difficult start to a weekend for Bagnaia, hinting at progress in understanding the GP25’s handling inconsistencies.

“This was an absolutely positive weekend for Pecco,” Dall’Igna wrote. “We did a remarkable job…

“All in all, it was one of the most positive weekends of the championship, both for our performance on the track, with a top spot on Saturday, but above all because for the first time this year we managed to turn around a very complicated Friday.

“It's a shame it all didn't finish in the best possible way, but morale is high and we are in good spirits: we will try to build on what we did well here, seeking the consistency level that is still eluding us.”

The Ducati racing boss also praised Alex Marquez, who won the Malaysian Grand Prix, rookie team-mate Fermin Aldeguer for clinching the Rookie of the Year title, and Gresini for securing the Independent teams’ crown.

Dall’Igna concluded by sending his thoughts to injured Moto3 riders Jose Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler, seriously hurt in a pre-race sighting lap accident.

“Our heartfelt thoughts and best wishes go out to Rueda and Dettwiler,” he said. “Keeping close to them reminds us, despite everything, to fully appreciate the things we are experiencing.”