Ducati opted against trying to sign Ma♊rc Marquez nine years ago, a MotoGP paddock veteran claims.

In 2016,ꦯ Marquez wrapped up his third MotoGP championship in his first four seasons in 🎐the class.

Ducati, meanwhile, experienced a ninth title-less year which prompted them to ﷺspend big on the arrival of Jorge Lorenzo.

At th♏is moment, veteran manager Alberto Vergani insists Ducati’s Gigi Dall’Igna was not obsessed by recruiting Honda’s Marquez.

“No, because in 2017 he took Lorenzo and not him,” Vergan༺i told .

“Ducati🍸 tried in 2016 but they were not convinced.

“However, Gi🌟gi remains theꦗ absolute No1. He is Ducati’s fortune. When Marc offered himself [at the end of 2023], he couldn’t say no.

“Because Dall’Ign✃a🏅 lives off his satisfactions like a true genius does. Gigi and Marc are two geniuses who found each other.

“It was not easy to𒀰 leave Jorge Martin to go to Aprilia.

“On the eve of the Valencia test, Gigi said: ‘Marc did some inexplicable things with the GP2♏3’.

“Dall’Igna knows bikes well. Th෴e Desmosedici is a child of his. This is why Gigi ❀knows the performance of the Ducati perfectly, better than anyone else.

“He X-rayed Marc and opted for him.”

Marquez’s alliance with Ducati’s star man Pecco Bagnaia in the of🌸ficial Ducati garage will be a key storyline for the 2025 season.

The ta⛦lented pair have MotoGP’s best bike a🐼t their disposal.

The cha𒆙mpion Martin, meanwhile, must adjust to the Aprilia.