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His stomping ground is now dirt track having been appointed by Ducati as head of off-road racing for the brand, however Paolo Ciabatti continues to keep one eye on MotoGP, his home for a very long time, especially in this 2025 season that is expected to be as juicy as it is peppery for the cohabitation in the Lenovo box of two bigwigs like Marquez and Bagnaia.
In light of a competitive level so far unattainable for the competition, with such a dream team a defeat seems impossible. "Last year we won 19 out of 20 races with the only exception of the one in Austin that went to Vinales on an Aprilia, so with a minimum of presumption we showed that we have the benchmark bike. Now it will be interesting to understand the internal dynamics of the team considering that there are two very fast riders who are motivated to win the world championship ," the manager told GPOne in exclusive. "Pecco came close last year and now he will want to take back the number 1, in the same way Marc in 2024 proved that with Ducati he can be competitive again and he too will want to assert himself. I think it will be a very interesting season for spectators and promoters, because having two such riders in the same team will only arouse curiosity."
Many expected problems with cohabitation right from the start, but for now harmony seems to reign supreme. "I hoped for that to happen because I want the good of Ducati. However, it is quite normal to get along at a time of development and of choosing the configuration of the bike to be used. It should not be forgotten, for example, that the engine that will be frozen for 2025 will also be used in 2026. It is clear that then things will change, but we are talking about two professionals and I am convinced that they will maintain the level of fairness expected of two champions," he said.
In some cases it is better to watch as a spectator than to have to deal with any conflicts. "Personally, I am delighted with what I have achieved in my 11 years in the MotoGP box. I had the goal of a World Championship after winning six in SBK. It never came, because we finished 2nd in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. It seemed like the curse of 2nd place. After that we won in 2022 and that was enough for me already, but we did it again in 2023, so I think it was the best time to move on and take on another professional challenge that I am excited about and given my age that will probably be the last one. I would be very keen to make the manufacturer win in motocross as well," he underlined.
The opponents have come closer over the winter, especially Yamaha. "I followed the tests a bit, but I was busy with MXGP so I didn't spend as much time. However, I saw that Yamaha started strong with Quartararo, who was himself left in disbelief by the Sepang performance. It must be said, however, that that is a particular track and we also in the past have gone well initially, but then we had some not-so-positive surprises in subsequent races, for example in 2017 and 2018. It should also be pointed out that Massimo Bartolini has worked for us and is a very good engineer, so I am not surprised that after a year of collaboration on an already defined project he managed together with the rest of the technical team to make changes that have borne fruit," was his opinion.
Exciting racing also means lots of spectators in the stands and in front of the TV. "For the championship to have five competitive manufacturers would be positive, it is clear that we are well pleased to have reached after so much effort and work a level like the one recently demonstrated, especially in 2024. That said, from a sporting point of view a little extra battle would give more value to our results. Last year in a Sprint Race we had eight Desmosedicis in the top 8 places. A little pluralism would be good. The current regulations are helping Yamaha and Honda close the gap, so in my opinion a more balanced World Championship in which Ducati can still come out on top would be great," he concluded.
