LUIGI DALL’IGNA ADMITS DUCATI HAVEN’T ALWAYS MADE THE BEST CALLS FOR BAGNAIA

Ducati general manager Luigi Dall’Igna has responded to Francesco Bagnaia’s off-the-record criticism that the team would not allow him to run the setup he wants. The controversy flared after the San Marino Grand Prix, when DAZN microphones captured Bagnaia speaking with Fabio Di Giannantonio, with the two-time world champion later taking issue with the broadcaster for airing the footage despite it being intended as private. Bagnaia’s comments were discussed again when he arrived at the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Speaking to GPOne in the paddock, Dall’Igna acknowledged that the situation was uncomfortable. “It certainly wasn’t pleasant to hear those words,” he said, adding that mistakes can multiply when a rider and team are struggling. “However, I think it’s quite normal that, when you’re facing difficulties as we are at the moment, you might make a few more mistakes.”

Dall’Igna also defended Ducati’s working relationship with Bagnaia, directly addressing the claim that the garage is not operating as one unit. “As Pecco himself explained, we’re absolutely united in the garage,” he said. “We share with him everything we see on the bike, all the tests we intend to carry out over the weekend, and we decide together what to try and what, if anything, to leave out.”

The Ducati executive further addressed reports that the team had been trying unconventional ideas to improve Bagnaia’s feel for the GP26. He admitted that some of those experiments may not have been the most appropriate from a purely technical standpoint. “Over the past few months, we’ve also carried out experiments which, from a technical point of view, were perhaps not the most suitable,” Dall’Igna said. “We did them anyway to try and help him and find a solution.”

He stressed that Ducati continues to search for answers despite the lack of progress. “In our quest to find a way forward, we’ve even tried things that didn’t entirely convince us from a technical standpoint,” Dall’Igna continued. “Unfortunately, however, we’re still in a situation where we need to find an answer.”

Concluding his remarks, Dall’Igna said results are essential for both sides and that the team will keep working until the end of the season. “Failing to get results isn’t good for him, or for us. We’re all in this together, and we’ll keep searching for a solution right to the very end, right up to the last race and the last mile,” he said.