“Absolutely had to be seized” - Dall’Igna hails Marc Marquez Aragon MotoGP double

Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna called Marc Marquez’s Aragon double “an opportunity that absolutely had to be seized” as the factory braces for a “tough” MotoGP title fight “right to the end”.

Marquez arrived at Aragon undefeated as a Ducati rider in the previous two seasons, but under pressure to respond after his worst weekend since shoulder surgery at Silverstone.

This time, Aragon victories were far from a formality, with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi leading Practice and Qualifying.

However, Marc Marquez delivered in the Sprint and Grand Prix, completing his third double of the season and climbing to second in the world championship, 19 points behind Jorge Martin.

“After our uninspired weekend at Silverstone, Marc returns to victory, his fourth this year, in a brilliant weekend that notches his 20th win in Sprint Races, an all-time record, and his eighth win in MotoGP at this track,” Dall’Igna wrote on LinkedIn.

“A track that fits him like a glove, where his talent always shines clearly, but still a difficult and challenging track for a particularly tricky and complicated race because it is always brimming with expectations and pressure.

“At a most crucial stage of the season, Marc secured all 37 available points, showing what a great champion he really is.

“Aside from statistics, he made the most of an opportunity that absolutely had to be seized. He dominated both races in a setting that was tougher than it seemed in the end.

“He set a pace that the others couldn’t keep up with, deciding how to take the lead and when to break away. Let’s celebrate with joy these results that are far from guaranteed and that push us back up in the standings. “

But while Marquez celebrated, team-mate Pecco Bagnaia endured another miserable weekend, struggling with rear grip before crashing early in the grand prix for a second successive non-scoring weekend.

“As for Pecco, I know I’m being repetitive, but these are the only concepts that can be stated with honesty and seriousness: we need to keep working and committing together to fix this situation and get him back to the performance he deserves, for everyone’s benefit, ours and his,” wrote Dall’Igna.

Alex Marquez claimed a front row in qualifying and finished runner-up to Marc in the Sprint, but was left a lonely fourth in the grand prix.

“Alex Marquez did a great job for his team and for Ducati as a whole. After the excellent second place on Saturday, in the long race he wasn’t among the top contenders only because of a small problem in the early turns that forced him to miss the group of top finishers that attained the podium. In any case, he’s invaluable, fast, and always “on the ball”.

“I also want to highlight Aldeguer’s excellent sixth-place finish on his return.”

Dall’Igna expects Aprilia and Ducati to continue exchanging superiority over the remaining events.

“It’s been a fantastic World Championship so far, it’ll be a tough fight right to the end.

“Ours is a battle we need to keep fighting and winning with a clear head, avoiding mistakes, optimising our performance on the less favourable tracks, and making the most of it on those that suit us best.”

The next event will be Ducati and Aprilia’s home round at Misano, where Marquez and Bezzecchi battled for victory last season.