A dialogue of the deaf took place in the MotoGP paddock between Paolo Campinoti, boss of the Pramac team, and Gigi Dall'Igna, the supreme authority of Ducati Corse, about the end of their collaboration. Although the two men have been friends for more than 20 years and share a great bond, their current disagreement is profound. Campinoti recently attributed the rift with Ducati to the hiring of Marc Marquez, a decision he sees as the trigger for his move to Yamaha. Dall'Igna, for his part, categorically refutes this version of the facts.
The relation between Ducati et Pramac will end at the end of 2024, and many attribute this separation to the occasional preference of Ducati for drivers from other teams, to the detriment of those from Pramac. The most recent events date back to 2022, with Enea Bastianini, and more recently with Marc Marquez, both times to the detriment of George Martin.
Campinoti explained to GP One that the final decision was taken after observing the enthusiasm of those responsible for Ducati following the exceeding of bastianini on Martin at Mugello. “ I stayed at Ducati for a long time because of my deep friendship with Gigi Dall'Igna. But I decided to leave when I saw that Bastianini's overtake on Martin at Mugello generated incredible enthusiasm in the Ducati box. But why ? Isn't Martin one of their pilots? ", did he declare.
Marc Marquez responsible but not guilty at Ducati?
This situation, combined with the lack of investment in young talent, has led Campinoti to make this decision. However, Dall'Igna does not share this perspective. At SkySport, the general manager of Ducati Corse has explained : " everyone wanted us to lose a team next year. If Marc had gone to their house, it would have been different, but it was complicated to keep two pilots »
Dall'Igna insists on the fact that Marquez is not to blame for this situation. “ He's not to blame. We had to choose a driver and we had three at our disposal, knowing that they would end up in the market. » However, this version of the facts is contested by Campinoti, which describes a much less flattering scenario for Ducati.
So while Campinoti maintains that the hiring of Marquez and the lack of investment in young talents were decisive, Dall'Igna rejects this version and minimizes the impact of these decisions on the separation. A disagreement which continues to fuel discussions in the paddock and beyond.
