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An open secret is something that actually ceases to be one because it becomes common knowledge. In MotoGP the 'secret' par excellence is Marc Marquez's choice to race with Gresini aboard a Ducati in 2024, a decision that the Spaniard has made but which he cannot yet officially announce. As a result here comes a succession of half-declarations, half-finished sentences both from the rider and from those who are involved in this affair in a collateral way.
Gigi Dall'Igna is one of these and today to the microphones of Antonio Boselli of SKY TV he spoke out perhaps a bit more than necessary after the end of the Grand Prix in Motegi. That’s the good thing about live TV, that things slip out that in theory shouldn't be said. But the damage has now been done, and the secret increasingly loses the appearance of being something concealed, to simply become a fact that is just waiting for an official statement, which will presumably arrive soon.
"Marc has been one of the strongest riders in history, so the fact that he strongly wants to get on a Ducati can only give us pleasure – were the words of Dall'Igna - This is the most important comment I can make. Then for sure he has decided to leave Honda to get on an unofficial Ducati, so in my opinion it all the more underlines the fact that he wants our bike and this can only give us pleasure."
Once the cat is out of the bag, it’s difficult to put it back in…
"This is what I have heard, but it's not official yet. I think there are a lot of things to do and define. I think the contract with Honda is complicated to break in the event that he always wants to break it. But it seems to me that these are the declarations that he made, so from our point of view they give pleasure."
For Dall'Igna Marc in Ducati will not necessarily be a problem.
"In the meantime, his arrival is all still to be defined, I have only commented on the declarations he made about our bike. Having said that, this year we are still focused on this championship which still has many things to say and we have many races to do. For sure Marc is an awkward rider for many reasons and there is certainly a concern that he could in some way create some problems with the balance that exists between all the Ducati teams at the moment. However, this is part of the game and we would be the ones who have to be good at managing him."
In any case, Ducati will have a group of aces on its bikes in 2024.
"I would like to say that there are many riders, not just Martìn and Bagnaia. Last year Enea did wonderful things, this year he was really very unlucky. I expect that next year he will be able to have his say. Bezzecchi is also doing an incredible season, so he will also be a protagonist in MotoGP in the future.”
