Davide Tardozzi, Ducati factory team boss: "Marc Márquez won us over with his smile."

A year ago, at Mugello, Ducati broke its verbal agreement with Jorge Martín at the last minute to avoid losing Marc Márquez. The top brass at the Bologna factory, the absolute dominator of MotoGP in recent years, feared that the eight-time world champion would decide to switch to competition after his physical and sporting rebirth at the hands of the Gresini team, the brand's customer team. The Catalan had issued a public ultimatum upon his arrival at the Tuscan circuit, the Ducati riders ' home race: the factory team seat or nothing. And so it was.

A year later, the 93 team is donning the Borgo Panigale colors for the Italian GP, ​​where he not only appears as the championship's clear leader, but also as the head of the garage he shares with three-time champion Pecco Bagnaia, the absolute benchmark until now and still the man who holds the records for the Italian manufacturer. " Marc is meeting all of our expectations ," notes Davide Tardozzi, head of the official Ducati team, in conversation with EL PAÍS. "With Pecco, we need to give him what he needs to regain his confidence and allow him to compete for victories with Marc," adds the 66-year-old former rider, who is primarily responsible for managing and aligning the group dynamics of the factory that sets the pace in MotoGP.

In Aragón, where Márquez dominated by leading every session of the weekend , the factory team breathed a sigh of relief when Bagnaia was able to return to the podium after two disastrous Grands Prix at Le Mans and Silverstone. The victory of one was as celebrated as the recovery of the other, in need of a morale boost as he trails the Spaniard by 93 points just over the third stage of the season. “Technical and mental problems always go hand in hand. If you don't find confidence with the bike, it's normal for it to bother you, but Pecco has shown many times that he has the mental strength to be up there,” says Tardozzi, who also recalls his protégé's 91-point comeback to take the 2022 title, the most impressive in the history of the championship.

It was Ducati test rider Michele Pirro who coined the term "dream team" during the preseason to define the union between Márquez and Bagnaia in the garage . "He wasn't wrong. I still think they're a true dream team , the envy of the rest of the paddock . Even with Pecco in trouble, we still have the strongest team in the championship," says the Italian executive. Regarding those who at some point doubted the tone of the relationship between his two champions, Tardozzi laughs: "They're two great professionals, but above all, two very intelligent and good people. Of course, on the track they want to beat each other, and even though they have tough battles in the head-to-head, we're not afraid of that duel. In fact, we're looking forward to it."

Marc Márquez's immersion in the Ducati universe has been absolute, despite the fact that he found himself in the garage with many of the mechanics who once worked with Andrea Dovizioso, who was runner-up three times behind the duo formed by the 93 and Honda, who won six titles in seven seasons between 2013 and 2019. "The connection was immediate, and working with Marc is much easier than I expected. He's not only a great champion, but also a very humble person. When you start working with someone like that, you wonder if there will be any problems, but the truth is there haven't been any," explains Tardozzi, who also suffered as a rival all those years and makes veiled reference to the quirks and difficult personalities of many other great riders who have passed through his hands.

Known for his close relationship with his Honda racing family, Márquez already demonstrated with Gresini, his foster family last season, his ability to form close bonds through his naturalness and charisma. In the factory Ducati garage, and with the pressure of the championship, his approach hasn't changed either. "He's always smiling and always positive, that's why he's won us over. Marc has won over everyone at Ducati with his smile, his personality, his simplicity, and his humility," concludes his team manager, visibly smitten with Márquez the rider, but above all, with Marc the person.