Ducati's meteoric rise in MotoGP is inseparable from the name Gigi Dall'Igna. Arriving at Borgo Panigale at a time when the Italian brand was going through a difficult period, the Italian engineer was able to breathe new life into it and lead Ducati to the top. Dall'Igna didn't just bring his technical expertise. He also overhauled the Ducati team's organisation in depth.
Gigi Dall'Igna is undoubtedly one of the main architects of the resurgence of Ducati in MotoGP. Since joining the Italian marque, he has transformed a struggling team into a dominant powerhouse through unprecedented technical innovation and strategic management.
Recalling his first contact with Ducati, Dall'Igna says: " I remember perfectly my first contact with Ducati because I was at my daughter's recital when Claudio Domenicali called me. At that time I was working in Superbike. The team was honestly in a very negative spiral. It was not a winning bike, the distance to the first was enormous. » This difficult situation fueled his determination to bring back Ducati at the top.
To Dall'Igna, the change had to go far beyond technique: " My first task was not to do with technique, but with trying to understand how to better organize people or the pieces I had to organize a winning team. »
This internal reorganization allowed Ducati to get closer to success, but one crucial element was still missing: " to finish, we lacked a champion »
Gigi Dall’Igna: “ That a champion like Marc Marquez praises your work and loves you is something we can be very proud of. »
Under his leadership, Ducati revolutionized aerodynamics in MotoGP, transforming an often overlooked area into a driving force behind their success. I always thought that Aerodynamics had been greatly neglected in motorcycle racing…Here I found the right people to be able to address this issue, which is much more complicated than by car »
Despite criticism of the impact of aerodynamics on the show, Dall'Igna strongly defends this approach: “ I don't understand this hatred that has been created towards aerodynamics. It has brought safety above all, but also benefits and, in my opinion, spectacle.. » And he sanctions on motosan : " People who hate her don't know her. »
Talent management is also a central pillar of its strategy. Francis Bagnaia is a perfect example: “ Bagnaia is a rider who needed more time than the others to reach the top, but I think for that reason we all did very well to trust him. »
His world title was a particularly emotional moment for Dall'Igna : " when I remember when he was champion, my eyes fill with tears of happiness. This was the goal we all had when I joined the Ducati family. »
The arrival of Marc Marquez in Ducati marks a new turning point. This has always been our ultimate goal: having the best drivers within our reference team. That a champion like Marc Marquez praises your work and loves you is something we can be very proud of. »
However, Dall'Igna recognizes the magnitude of the challenge: “ The work we will have to do will be to manage and It will depend on us to be good enough to be able to manage the drivers well. »
With such a strategic and forward-thinking vision, Gigi Dall'Igna shaped a new era for Ducati, ensuring that the history of the Italian brand continues to be written with success and innovation.
