Claudio Domenicali followed the events in Portimao from the Ducati pits – The Italian does not want to commit himself to a question of blame for the collision
The collision between Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez on lap 23 of the Portuguese Grand Prix has caused a stir. The FIM race stewards judged the situation to be a racing accident. Both riders also saw it as a racing accident, although Marc Marquez was more likely to blame Bagnaia
Ducati celebrated a double victory in Portimao with Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini. Claudio Domenicali, the CEO of the Italian brand, was in the factory team’s pits during the race and followed the action closely.
The crash between Bagnaia and Marquez in turn 5 was a delicate situation in more ways than one. As a two-time world champion, Bagnaia is the spearhead of Ducati. As a six-time MotoGP champion, Marquez is the newcomer in the Gresini satellite team.
When his switch from Honda to Gresini was confirmed last fall, the Ducati management noted that they would have to “manage” the situation with Marquez and the other riders.
“I said that Marc is a rider who is not controllable,” noted General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna at the end of November before the start of the test day in Valencia. “As I said, he is one of the most important riders in history.”
“We have to manage the relationship with him, within the team and with all Ducati employees.” And now there has already been an accident between Marquez and Bagnaia on the second race weekend.
What does Domenicali say? “It’s clear that we feel a bit bad when things like this happen between ‘Pecco’ and Marc, but that’s part of racing. They are both great champions and neither wanted to give in.”
“I followed the analysis on TV. It depends from which side you look at it. You can tend to agree with one or the other,” said the Italian in an interview with Italy’s Sky Sport.
“Maybe two riders with this experience could have been a bit more careful, but on the other hand nobody wanted to give in. Even though it was only about fifth place, they rode hard and both took risks.”
“Now it’s easy to make an analysis, but when you’re driving and the adrenaline is flowing, it’s different. I understand both of them, but I’m not justifying them. That would be a good summary [from my side].”
Asked by the Italian reporter if the arrival of Marquez has shifted the balance in the Ducati world, Domenicali is diplomatic: “There are so many champions, we have seen Acosta race a crazy race again. “
“So I don’t know if one driver more or one less makes a difference. They are all very strong. Some are world champions who always want to win – like ‘Pecco’ and Marc. I understand that you like the topic as a journalistic cue.”
“But I try not to get drawn into the controversy if I can,” Domenicali emphasizes. “I don’t bite.” To be continued on April 14 in the USA. Marquez has won seven times with Honda at the Circuit of The Americas. Bagnaia crashed there last year while leading
