Ducati Calls Assen Anonymous as Title Fight Opens

Gigi Dall'Igna believes the 2026 MotoGP title fight is now wide open despite the factory Ducati team enduring what he described as an “anonymous” weekend at Assen. Neither Marc Marquez nor Francesco Bagnaia reached the podium after Ducati had won the previous four grands prix.

The result represented a significant change from the rounds preceding the Dutch MotoGP, where Marquez had secured three victories and Bagnaia added another. At Assen, Ducati claimed only one podium across the entire weekend through Fabio Di Giannantonio, who finished third in the Sprint before taking fourth place in Sunday’s grand prix.

“For the Factory Team, this turned out to be a substantially anonymous GP,” Dall'Igna wrote in his latest LinkedIn update.

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Dall'Igna acknowledged that Ducati never established itself as a leading force in the manner expected of the manufacturer. In contrast, Aprilia controlled the weekend by locking out the top four grid positions, securing a Trackhouse one-two in the Sprint and filling the entire grand prix podium with RS-GP machinery.

However, Marco Bezzecchi crashing out on the second lap changed the championship picture. The mistake cost Bezzecchi the championship lead to team-mate Jorge Martin and compressed the gaps between the principal title contenders.

The leading eight riders, from Martin to Bagnaia, are now separated by only 63 points with just over half of the season remaining. Di Giannantonio is Ducati’s highest-placed rider in the standings, occupying third position and sitting only 16 points behind the leader. He is also the only Ducati rider mathematically capable of leaving the Sachsenring at the top of the championship.

Marc Marquez remains 40 points behind the leader after finishing seventh at Assen, despite running as high as third during the race. Bagnaia retired while holding fourth position, while Alex Marquez completed the grand prix in fifth on his first race weekend since suffering injuries in Catalunya and after another heavy crash on Friday.

Dall'Igna identified Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez as Ducati’s strongest representatives through their pace, character and ability to compete in difficult circumstances. Di Giannantonio recovered from an uncertain start and regained the position he had lost through a penalty, while Alex remained directly behind him at the finish despite not being in ideal physical condition.

The Assen results also had a direct impact on the manufacturers’ and teams’ championships. Ducati now trails Aprilia by 22 points in the constructors’ standings, while Ducati Lenovo sits third in the teams’ classification behind Aprilia and Trackhouse. With the German MotoGP at the Sachsenring on July 10-12 forming the final round before the summer break, Ducati requires a competitive response to prevent Aprilia extending its advantage while keeping its riders firmly involved in the title fight.