What Luigi Dall’Igna said about ‘mysterious’ part on Ducati’s MotoGP bike

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Ducati are looking to extend their run of dominance during the 2025 MotoGP season. They have established a stranglehold over the constructors’ championship since 2020.

Ducati and their satellite squads have also won the last four teams’ titles, while Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, formerly of Pramac, have split the last three riders’ crowns. With no major regulation changes until 2027, the streaks look set to continue.

Ducati have been at the forefront of technical innovation in the premier class in recent times. Luigi Dall’Igna rejected comparisons to Adrian Newey given the breadth of his responsibilities as team boss, but he too comes from an engineering background.

The Bologna outfit were the pioneers of the controversial ride-height device in 2018. The technology will be outlawed in 2027, but they’ve already gained a lasting advantage over their rivals.

Jack Miller says Yamaha expected MotoGP to ban Ducati’s device, which left them behind the curve. Indeed, the balance of power in the sport has shifted away from the Japanese squads and towards the European outfits.

Last year, Ducati led KTM in the standings, with Aprilia third. Yamaha and Honda, who had won all but one title between the start of the MotoGP era in 2002 and 2019, were fourth and fifth respectively.

Luigi Dall’Igna was tight-lipped on ‘very important’ Ducati part

Ducati held their 2025 launch event at the start of this week, and Mat Oxley took the opportunity to approach Dall’Igna with a query. He’d spotted what he called a ‘mysterious part’ on the Desmosedici GP24 in a close-up photo from the pit lane.

Predictably, Dall’Igna didn’t give anything away. He acknowledged that the part was ‘very important’, but wouldn’t reveal its purpose.

Ducati arguably enter the new year in an even stronger position given the financial woes of KTM. The Austrian outfit may see their development potential limited by the company’s wider issues.

Aprilia were the only team to deny them a clean sweep in 2024, with Maverick Vinales winning at the Circuit of the Americas. But they remain clear underdogs even after poaching Martin.

Ducati faced ‘devastating’ consequences of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut

Last season, Ducati were far more comfortable using Michelin’s new rear tyre than their rivals. If the rest of the field can make progress, it could narrow their advantage.

But there’s no sign of any complacency creeping in. Marc Marquez set a surprising target for 2025, claiming he only wanted to finish in the top three amid external expectations of a two-horse race with Bagnaia.

Perhaps he’s wary of Martin, or even Pedro Acosta if KTM can still field a competitive bike. Predictably, their rivals are trying to control any optimism.

They want to transfer all the pressure to the reigning champions, who have naturally dominated the pre-season publicity. Still, their launch didn’t exactly go to plan, with Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari ‘devastating’ for Ducati’s traffic.