Dall’Igna on Ducati’s defeat at Spielberg: “An overall lacklustre performance”

The Red Bull Ring is one of Ducati’s flagship circuits. Since the MotoGP World Championship returned to Spielberg in 2016, the Italian manufacturer has won ten Grands Prix there (due to the COVID-19 pandemic, two race weekends were held in Spielberg in both 2020 and 2021). Apart from Ducati, only KTM has managed to secure GP victories on the Austrian circuit. The Mattighofen-based team’s latest triumph came last weekend, when Pedro Acosta claimed his first MotoGP victory.

The second-strongest team behind KTM was Aprilia. Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura finished in 2nd to 4th places in Sunday’s Grand Prix. In 5th place: Marc Marquez. The MotoGP champion was the best Ducati rider. The balance of power had shifted; the Reds were no longer the benchmark this year.

Dall’Igna congratulated Acosta and KTM

“This championship is proving to be completely unpredictable: an exciting season in which practically everything – or almost nothing – can be taken for granted,” analysed Ducati Corse CEO Gigi Dall’Igna on his LinkedIn account. “Every GP unfolds like a chapter in its own right, often contradicting the narrative of the previous race and telling a great story that is likely to turn out to be a real thriller right up to the end. On a circuit where everyone expected us to be the main contenders, we undoubtedly struggled, and that was plain for all to see. Congratulations to our rivals on a long-awaited and thoroughly deserved victory. From a sporting perspective, it is impossible to remain emotionally unmoved by this moment and the context in which they achieved it.”

Marc Márquez finished second and fifth at Spielberg. He now trails Jorge Martín by 12 points in the World Championship standings. “As always, Marc put in a solid performance, even though he had to contend with technical issues that hampered his race,” said Dall’Igna. “To be honest, after the practice sessions on Saturday morning, we’d thought we could achieve more. But from the sprint race onwards, it became clear that it would be a difficult task, even though we were still able to secure second place there. In fact, we even lost our podium place on Sunday due to a problem at the start of the race, which caused Marc to go off the track, drop to the back of the field and be forced into an unexpected chase. That was a real shame, as his pace was on a par with the best. In the end, we had to settle for fifth place, with a generally lacklustre performance from all our bikes – and that on a track where we had always dominated in the past. In this championship, it’s crucial to show resilience and maintain concentration, never giving up even when you’re a long way from the podium, in order to secure valuable points which, given the circumstances in which they’re achieved, are so important.”

Willkommen zum Rennen am Red Bull Ring

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Pedro Acosta

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Fans

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Pecco Bagnaia und Marc Márquez

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Jorge Martin

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Brad Binder

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Marc Márquez

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Ai Ogura

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Fermin Aldeguer

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Marco Bezzecchi und Marc Márquez

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Pedro Acosta

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Johann Zarco

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Jorge Martin

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Enea Bastianini

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Pedro Acosta gewinnt das Rennen

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Pedro Acosta und Team

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Martin, Acosta, Bezzecchi

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Sieger Pedro Acosta

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Sieger Pedro Acosta

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Willkommen zum Rennen am Red Bull Ring

© Gold & Goose

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Praise for Pecco Bagnaia

Pecco Bagnaia regained a better feel for his Desmosedici at Spielberg. He finished the MotoGP Sprint in 6th place and came 7th in the Grand Prix. “Pecco finished seventh: a good result that shows resilience and pride,” said Dall’Igna, praising the Italian. “He did a good job throughout the weekend, marking a turnaround compared to recent races. After all, we’re talking about a world champion who deserves better. But the most important thing was to take that first step, and I’m convinced that more will follow in the coming races.”