The Spaniard left Honda and switched to the Italian team Gresini Motorcycles: the reasons for the decision
Two days ago Marc Marquez got on a Ducati for the first time in Valencia and suddenly the Spaniard was back in the spotlight. The lap times, the ease with which he achieved them, the smile he gave in the Gresini team garage – his new home – have ignited everyone’s imagination about his fate and that of the MotoGP World Championship in 2024. A future that is possible Leave the eight-time world champion out of the analysis and look at the story through the lens of Borgo Panigale.
at the root of choice
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Adding such a weighty name to a balanced and collaborative structure regarding pilots could break the bank. And in fact the CEO Claudio Domenicali did not hide the doubts of those in charge of the red team: many Marquez did not want him. So the question you should ask yourself – when you think about a company that has won two World Cups in a row and dominated the last one in impressive fashion – is just one: Why complicate your life? There is no single answer. One can approach the question from different angles, as if it were a reproduction – admittedly in a small and slightly playful way – of Akira Kurosawa’s film Rashomon: the same story told from different points of view. Here too there are four players: Ducati, the other red riders, the organizers of the world championship and the team founded by Fausto Gresini. Which unfortunately no longer exists, but who knows how much fun he would have had…
Teams and drivers
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His team, let’s start here, has everything to gain: it has never seen so many cameras and photographers in front of the garage, new sponsors are coming and – a question that surpasses them all – it can count on what is left on paper remains a phenomenon. Carmelo Ezpeleta’s Dorna is just a touch below in terms of benefits: watching Marc languish in the background hasn’t helped in terms of interest, TV audience and social media. Numbers That Make Money: A Marquez fighting for victory makes money, so he has to get on the best bike. However, the riders of the other Ducatis, apart from Alex Marquez, have a lot to lose (but there are also doubts as to whether his brotherly love would ever be forgotten…): the comparison can belittle them. But it is a vision – the one currently most popular – pessimistic and defensive. Nothing prevents someone from standing before Marc and gaining certain fame from him. However, the most important point of view remains that of the company that currently dominates MotoGP.
Risks and benefits
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With the Spaniard in his group, harmony could break down, Bagnaia’s leadership could be questioned and a private team could win the title with last season’s bike. Not to mention Marquez’s low approval rating among Italian fans (not all, by the way). So where is the comfort? It’s there, albeit subtle. The calculation of Gigi Dall’Igna, the genius who created this technical dominance and who did not oppose Marc’s arrival, is that of the true racing driver, always looking for success: Marquez serves to measure the value of the other drivers and that to develop the red team further by taking different paths than usual and, above all, if necessary, raising the bar for everyone when the internal challenge spills over to the rivals. From KTM to Aprilia to the Honda, which was believed to be dead but had the means to come back to the surface. Gaining harmony can lead to hell. Ask Ron Dennis for confirmation when he brought Senna and Prost together in his McLaren…
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