Marc Marquez on title course: Dall'Igna raves and warns at the same time

– Ducati experienced an almost perfect weekend at the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano. Marc Marquez won both the sprint and the main race, thereby taking the lead in the MotoGP World Championship.

Titel-Bild zur News: Marc Marquez und Gigi Dall'Igna

His brother Alex Marquez completed Ducati’s success by finishing second, while Fermin Aldeguer also brought a Ducati home in fourth place. For Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna, Marc Marquez’s performance was above all proof of his extraordinary racing intelligence. At the same time, he calls for restraint.

Dall’Igna: “Marc is simply great”

In his review of the Misano weekend, Dall’Igna finds effusive words for his top rider. “Again. Marc proves to be … simply great,” writes the Ducati Corse chief and raves about the many positive aspects of the weekend, starting with the triumph in front of the home fans.

The success is particularly important for Ducati at this point in the season, emphasizes Dall’Igna. Not only because of the points gained, but also because Marquez moved to the top of the riders’ standings and Ducati to the top of the constructors’ standings. After the race, Marquez is tied on points with Jorge Martin but leads due to his higher number of season wins.

Dall’Igna is particularly impressed by “that he – beyond his great wealth of experience – still has the desire, ability, and humility to learn and improve.” This makes Marquez a “true professional” who has earned respect within the entire team.

“Always knows when to push”

According to Dall’Igna, Marquez’s real strength is less in individual spectacular maneuvers and more in race control: “He always knows when to push, when to hold back, and when to attack.”

This assessment fits the race progression in Misano. Marquez had to briefly give up the lead to Martin after Marco Bezzecchi’s early exit, but once in his rhythm, he was able to control the race from the front. His victory was no longer seriously threatened.

MotoGP: San Marino Grand Prix (Misano) 2026

Marc Marquez on title course: Dall'Igna raves and warns at the same time

For Dall’Igna, this ability was crucial. Marquez managed his resources “flawlessly from start to finish,” decided for himself when and how to attack, and was neither hasty nor took unnecessary risks. In doing so, he won “in true Marc style.”

The victory was Marquez’s eighth triumph in Misano and his fifth Grand Prix win of the season. Together with the sprint win on Saturday, it was also the second perfect weekend finish after Aragon. In the sprint, Marquez had still defeated Bezzecchi in a direct duel. On Sunday, he then benefited from the early retirement of the Aprilia rider who had started from pole.

Alex Marquez also impresses

But not only the Misano winner receives praise from Dall’Igna. The Italian explicitly highlights Alex Marquez as well. The Gresini Ducati rider started the race from ninth place and fought his way up to second.

“His brother Alex also showed a great performance,” writes Dall’Igna. At times, it even looked as if Alex “had more to give than Marc.” In the end, the two brothers were separated by only 0.657 seconds at the finish.

Behind them, Pedro Acosta completed the podium, while Fermin Aldeguer also delivered a strong performance in fourth place. Dall’Igna describes Aldeguer’s weekend as “excellent,” both for the young Spaniard and for Ducati. He especially highlights his strong qualifying. Aldeguer had qualified third and confirmed his pace in the race with fourth place.

Bagnaia remains the concern

There was less reason for joy with Francesco Bagnaia. The Ducati rider experienced another difficult weekend and crashed out. Initially, Bagnaia had a good start, gained several positions, and according to Dall’Igna, initially gave the impression of being in harmony with the bike and the track.

“Unfortunately, that was not the case this time either,” is the sobering conclusion of the Ducati chief. Bagnaia’s crash occurred in the sixth lap at turn 2. It was already his fourth retirement in the last five Grand Prix races.

Dall’Igna does not want to draw hasty conclusions from this. “We have to keep trying and then try again,” he writes. The path to success leads through consistency: races must be finished regardless of whether a track suits the package particularly well or less well.

Dall’Igna applies the brakes on euphoria

Looking ahead to the rest of the season and the title fight, Dall’Igna makes a noticeable effort to curb the euphoria within the team despite the Misano double victory.

“We have achieved nothing yet,” the Ducati racing chief makes clear. The season is still long, even longer than the pure race calendar might suggest. Ducati must therefore continue to work “with a cool head” and must not be distracted by individual wins. Even though these successes are important, according to Dall’Igna, they ultimately represent only “milestones on our way” to the big goal.

This fits the situation in the championship. After Misano, eight Grand Prix weekends remain on the calendar. Dall’Igna had already pointed out before the recent weekend that the balance between maximum speed and consistently collecting points will decide the title fight.

“Never lose vigilance”

Accordingly, Dall’Igna still expects a close fight. “There is certainly no shortage of competitive riders,” he knows. Ducati must therefore always expect the balance of power to shift again.

His central message is: “We must never lose vigilance.” Mistakes can happen at any time, and by anyone involved. Precisely for this reason, Ducati must continue to apply pressure until the end of the season without being dazzled or absorbed by recent successes.