Bartolini, Ducati's vehicle performance engineer and Dall'Igna's right-hand man, left the Italian manufacturer to join rival Yamaha as the Japanese brand went on a recruitment drive to bolster its technical line-up in an attempt to return to the front of the field.
While the news was welcomed by Yamaha, it was a blow for Ducati, aware of the gap left by the Italian in the racing department of the Borgo Panigale company, and of the revitalisation that he could bring to the Japanese manufacturer.
