Alberto Puig shares the truth about Honda’s pursuit of Gigi Dall’Igna

The mastermind responsible for Ducati’s dominant 💞Desmosedici will remain at the Italian manufacturer this year.
Alberto Puig, Honda team manager, h꧋as been questioned for the first time about the Japanese brand’s wish to lure Dall’Igna.
Asked if it’ꦍs true that Honda wanted Dall’Igna, Puig told : “Different options were explored, but not only this one.”
Dall’Igna 💯previously told his side of the story to : “I worked so hard to get to a situation where Ducati is co🅠nsidered a model, leaving now wouldn't have been logical.
“Then, it's true that I did what I had to do here. It could have🔯 been a challenge won and archived.
“And Honda is a🌳n equally interesting and important ch𒁃allenge."
So, will Honda leave all major technical decisi✤ons in the hands of their Japan-based staff?
“It has not been decided,” Puig insisted.
“Options are still being consider﷽ed and we are open to different ones.
“Not only individuals, but also tech🌌nical consultancies, open to see where🔯 we can get the best ideas.”
Honda𝓡’s pursuit of Dall’Igna was essentially an attempt to prove their seriousness about returning to the top of MotoGP to Marc Marquez, their wantaway rider who eventually quit to go to Gresini Ducati.
But Honda have still made major decisions, such the exit of Shinichi Kokubu🐟 as technical director.
They hope to profit for the new concessions rules this season, having brought in Luca Marini to replace Marquez alongside Joan Mi🅰r.
Puig was asked if another drab year is sustainable for a powerhouse like Honda, and he said: “If you look at history, all compa🌳nies have periods [like this].
“Honda also had some downs.
“Or periods when you couldn't do anything if you didn't have a Hoℱnda engine.
“Nothing is linea🅠r, ascenꦜding, exponential, in the world of competition.
“When Ducati started, they didn't do anything. They spent a few years doing nothing. And they had concessions.&nb🀅sp;
“It's not about whether you can endure it or not.
“It is not good not to achieve results, but what is worse is not to remedy it. And we are trying to remedy it.&nbs🌺p;
“That it has not been achieveꦛd, correct, but what would be worse is to do nothing and we are dꦐoing things, trying to restructure things, looking for things.
“We are not aslee�🌊�p. As of today, has it been achieved? Not yet.”

James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from🐟 American sports, to footbal💦l, to F1.