The numbers that show how Gigi Dall’Igna turned Ducati into a MotoGP powerhouse

The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix was a special one for Ducati’s technical guru Gigi Dall’Igna. Exactly a year after Marc Marquez clinched the MotoGP title on one of his creations, Dall’Igna celebrated his 100th grand prix success at Motegi.

All of these 100 wins have come in just the last 203 races, stretching back to Andrea Iannone’s maiden success at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix. That means Ducati has won almost every other race in the last decade. These numbers are astonishing, especially when you consider that the Italian marque scored only 31 grands prix wins prior to Dall’Igna’s arrival in 2013.

“For sure, I'm proud about the job that all Ducati employees did during these years,” Dall’Igna said during a special interview with the media on Sunday.

“For sure, I'm happy and proud. And 100 is a nice number, that means that I'm old. This is the worst part.

“The first victory with Iannone in Austria was the one that was more important and I remember with the best memories.”

Winner Andrea Iannone, Ducati Team and Gigi Dall'Igna, Ducati Team General Manager

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Interestingly, Ducati did not become a MotoGP powerhouse by finding a major advantage at the start of a new rule cycle. In fact, the core MotoGP regulations pertaining to the engine and chassis have largely remained stable since 2012.

Instead, the technical team led by Dall’Igna gradually addressed the weaknesses of the Desmosedici - using concessions to their advantage - to become a race winner in 2016. Once Ducati was able to close to the front, it reinvented the wheel in MotoGP, pioneering ride-height devices and increasingly sophisticated aerodynamics to change the very face of the championship.

It has also been impressive at adapting to some yearly changes to the rulebook, which, while not fundamental, added to the complexity of MotoGP bikes. The introduction of Michelin tyres, standardised ECUs, the clampdown on aero and ride-height devices, tyre pressure monitoring and the engine freeze have all failed to halt Ducati’s progress.

“I think that in the last 10 years, the bike has changed more than in all the other years,’’ Dall’Igna said. “So it's an important evolution that we push on in motorsport and we are really happy about that.”

Dall’Igna guided Ducati to the manufacturers’ title for the first time in 2020, and it has been undefeated since then. In the riders’ championship, Marquez’s 2025 success marked the fourth in a row for Ducati.

Dall’Igna was also the mastermind behind the GP24, which many still regard as the best bike that came out of Borgo Panigale. In 2024, Ducati won 19 out of the 20 races (16 with the GP24 and the remaining three with the year-old GP23) in what was one of the most dominant campaigns in premier-class history.

However, the GP25 is the bike that is the dearest to Dall’Igna, as it set Ducati on the course to its present-day success.

“Honestly, the 2015 machine was the most important, because with that machine, we made a real step,” he said. “It was not easy, there was a lot of pressure at that time.

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team

“So, I think that bike, that machine, stays in my heart more than all the others. Even if the [GP22] we won the first riders' championship [with in 2022] is another important bike for me.”

It remains to be seen if Ducati will end MotoGP’s 1000cc era on top amid sustained pressure from Aprilia, but no matter which way the championship is decided, Dall’Igna is already responsible for one of the most successful periods for any manufacturer in MotoGP history.

Between 1994-99, Honda won 68 out of 87 races at a strike rate of 78.2%. That trumps Ducati’s 49.3% figure, but the latter deserves credit for sustaining its success over a longer period.

Perhaps the best modern-day comparison is Mercedes, which won 111 out of 163 grands prix from 2014 to 2021, despite attempts to rein in its dominance in 2017 with updated regulations. It would be wrong to diminish Mercedes’ success to make Ducati’s statistics look more impressive, but both deserve credit for transforming themselves from the midfield into the benchmarks of their respective championships.

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