Ducati hit back, Domenicali: "Marquez is a problem for the others"

Marc Marquez won at Misano and reclaimed the lead in the MotoGP championship, while Ducati established itself as the leader in the constructors’ standings, ahead of Aprilia. Claudio Domenicali, CEO of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer, did not hide his satisfaction with the Spanish rider’s performance.

A double victory with the flavor of an overtake, even though Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin are tied on points at the top of the riders’ standings. Marco Bezzecchi’s crash in Sunday’s race made things easier for the nine-time world champion, who is now chasing his tenth world crown. After Mugello he was 102 points behind the leader; after Misano, the gap was erased. An epic feat that only a talent like Marquez can achieve.

Credit also goes to the operation performed last May on his right foot and shoulder, which allowed the reigning MotoGP champion to feel less pain and regain confidence aboard the Ducati GP26. "We’re seeing a different Marc compared to the start of the season," Domenicali told ‘Marca’. "A lot also depends on the track. But on circuits where arm fatigue is reduced or nonexistent, he’s done incredible things. It must be said that he’s been lucky, because you need a bit of luck and our rivals have made many mistakes. It’s clear that Marc puts pressure on them and it’s easier to make mistakes, but we would have preferred to see a real race."

Ducati returns to winning at home after the Mugello debacle. The men in red, however, don’t want to call it revenge... "No, we don’t need revenge. Mugello was very good for them and Misano for us. That’s racing," continued the boss of the Emilia-based company. Now the goal is the MotoGP title, the fifth in a row for the Italian brand. You have to think and do the math race by race. At Misano both Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer were a great help. "If it hadn’t been for them, today we wouldn’t be tied on points, because Jorge would have finished second."

Surely the phenomenon from Cervera has a few more weapons than the Aprilia rivals: experience, the ability to handle pressure, pure talent. Perhaps only the condition of his arm can slow Marquez down... "Marc is certainly an extraordinary athlete. Not only in terms of talent, but also in terms of mental strength. So he’s a big problem for the others. But certainly, on tracks where he has already won, the arm was fine, because, in any case, you can’t do it with your head alone. But we’ve also seen, on other circuits like Assen or Silverstone, he struggled a lot. Because the long right-handers are where he can’t push as he would like."

Now the MotoGP championship enters the heart of the title fight. Next stop is Austria, where Ducati can usually deliver results. What’s certain is that it will be an all-Italian duel between Noale and Borgo Panigale. "At the beginning of the year we were very worried," admitted Claudio Domenicali. "Aprilia seemed to have done an extraordinary job. Today, however, the fastest Aprilia is quite far back, while we have many Ducatis in front," he observed after the Misano GP. "This means the Ducati guys have done an extraordinary job. It’s a great challenge; all Italians should be proud of it."

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