Gigi Dall’Igna: Ducati brought “abruptly back to reality” at Silverstone MotoGP
Gigi Dall’Igna admits Ducati were “never really in the running” at Silverstone.
Ducati were “never really in the running” at the Silverstone MotoGP, an event that “brings us abruptly back to the reality of a hard-fought championship against strong and indomitable opponents”.
Those were the words of Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna after the reigning champions were outpaced by Aprilia throughout the British Grand Prix weekend.
Ducati failed to break into the top three in qualifying, the Sprint or Grand Prix, while Marc Marquez also dropped to fourth in the World Championship.
“Silverstone has once again proved just how unpredictable it is, with a twelfth different winner in as many recent races,” Dall’Igna wrote in his LinkedIn race review.
“It also reiterates that this is a tough and demanding track for us: we experienced a lacklustre weekend, one that we must move on from quickly, still whilst drawing the necessary conclusions.
“Oh, well, there isn’t much to say: we were never really in the running. From qualifying, right through to the GP race, we never found a competitive pace for several reasons, and we always lacked the right feel for the bike.
“Nothing particularly worrying.
"We take heed of a track that brings us abruptly back to the reality of a hard-fought championship against strong and indomitable opponents: now the priority is to recapture the spirit we had before the summer break and put our hearts into it, as well as giving our all, as always.”
Dall’Igna singled out Gresini’s Alex Marquez for being “the best Ducati representative on both Saturday and Sunday” and agreed he could probably have finished on the Grand Prix podium without a mid-race mistake.
VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio scored “valuable points in the context of his excellent season and from a world championship perspective, in a table that remains wide open and unpredictable.”
However, factory rider Pecco Bagnaia “ended a weekend to forget, with a crash”, with Dall’Igna highlighting that “the British track was certainly not ideal for him following his forearm operation”.
Team-mate Marc Marquez, meanwhile, arrived at Silverstone fresh from a perfect Sachsenring double but left with his worst results since undergoing shoulder surgery in May.
The nine-time champion suffered extreme tyre drop on his way to ninth in the Sprint, then salvaged seventh in the grand prix.
“Marc was never able to match the pace of the best, regardless of his unfortunate qualifying session, marred as it was by a ‘yellow’ flag on his final attempt. For distinct reasons, our result was totally different from the recent one in Germany. Matter of fact, it was quite the opposite,” wrote Dall’Igna.
“Marc himself had warned that this would be a tough one, which is exactly as it turned out. He got off to a strong start and stayed in the podium positions for as long as he could, before gradually slipping down the field, though he kept fighting sternly until he had to settle for a less than remarkable race without taking any unnecessary risks.
“Simply, some favourable days will surely come: the important thing will be for us to be ready when this will occur. There are still plenty of races on the calendar, and rough patches are bound to be encountered by everyone.
“In a brilliant championship such as the MotoGP, success will go to those who can best respond to the challenge of the day.”
Victory for Raul Fernandez at Silverstone means all four Aprilia riders have now won a grand prix this season.
Jorge Martin leads the World Championship by 31 points over factory Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, with Ai Ogura 37 points adrift for Trackhouse after crashing at Silverstone.
Marc Marquez is 40 points from the top heading into Aragon later this month.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
