Ducati MotoGP boss Gigi Dall’Igna believes Marc Marquez is having to ride right on the limit in order to stay head of the competition, and the amount of crashes is evidence of how hard he is having to push.

The Repsol Honda man went down twice over the Aragon MotoGP weekend - crucially once in qualifying - and Dall’Igna says this could be an advantage for the Bologna team.

"Marc is a rider who takes a lot of risks, and only wants a result. Dealing with someone like this can be difficult, as we have seen. I don't think he has a lot of margin, and for this reason he's taken many risks. Someone who is making so many errors is always travelling close to the limit,” said Dall’Igna.

The enigmatic Italian insists that Andrea Dovizoso’s seventh place last weekend was not the end of their championships hopes as Marquez opened a 16-point gap.

"We knew that for Andrea and our bike that Aragon would be difficult, and the time lost on Friday maybe was more important for us than for the others. After the race we spoke and to me he seemed as motivated as ever. When you find yourself fighting an opponent like this, you cannot be too worried.

"We did not lose the championship on Sunday. I remain convinced that we will have plenty to say from now until the end.”