Fabio Di Giannantonio explained why he felt he “threw away” his chances of securing a podium finish at the Argentina MotoGP Grand Prix.

The Roman rider finished both the Sprint and Sunday race in fifth place, accumulating 16 points to his championship tally.

The VR46 Ducati opted for the same strategy as his teammate Franco Morbidelli, starting the 25-lapper with the soft rear tyre compound.

The start of his race saw Morbidelli squeeze through on Lap 1 which placed him behind KTMs Brad Binder as a result.

Di Giannantonio later found the right opportunity to pass Binder on Lap 15, then completed an ambitious last-lap move on LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco.

“Without [Franco] Morbidelli’s overtake, I think I would’ve finished the race differently. The start was good, and the plan was to reach a fourth, fifth position right away and then start the chase,” Di Giannantonio explained to GPOne.

“However, Franco did well and ruined my GP. I was behind Binder for three-quarters of the race and lost a lot of time, also because Brad [Binder] is very difficult to overtake.

“I had a great pace, to the extent that, after twenty laps, I was still doing 1.38.3s. But, by then, it was too late.

“I’m a bit angry because I feel I threw away a podium. With the current regulations, if you’re behind someone who’s breaking away, you can only save yourself if he makes a mistake.”

He continued: “In my case, the KTM rider made a small mistake, and I managed to squeeze in. Otherwise, I would’ve definitely been stuck.

“This is also why qualifying and the first few laps are crucial. In those stages, you have to take risks.”

Di Giannantonio admitted he ‘lost concentration’ in last laps

Di Giannantonio admitted post-race that he “lost concentration” in the last laps of the race due to exhaustion.

He is still nursing an injury after breaking his collarbone during the pre-season test in Sepang, which played a part in the closing stages of the Argentina race.

Although he wasn’t satisfied with not reaching his target, he was happy with the progression made since the season opener.

“Looking at the two top five, it was a really good weekend. In terms of speed and consistency, I really progressed from Thailand,” he reflected.

“I’m really happy and proud because we did a great job. Obviously, I can’t be 100% satisfied because I wanted to finish in the top three.

“It was hard, but not like last weekend [Thailand] where, in the last laps, I was exhausted.

“Here, in the closing laps, I lost concentration and even forgot to deactivate the holeshot twice. So I faced Turn 6 like on a chopper.

“I kept thinking about how to recuperate energy on the straight. In the next few days, I’ll try to train and prepare myself as the best as I can for Austin.

“I hope not, but I’m afraid it will be. Like I said, in the next few days, instead of resting, I’ll spend time recuperating muscle in my upper body.”

READ MORE – Franco Morbidelli ends four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina amid self-doubt battles

The post Fabio Di Giannantonio explains why he ‘threw away’ Argentina MotoGP podium chances appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Franco Morbidelli opened up about the self-doubt battles he faced before ending his four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina.

The Italian rider’s 1,414-day wait for another appearance on the rostrum ended as he secured third place at the Termas de Rio Hondo.

In those four years, the VR46 Ducati rider overcame various injuries and jumped ship from Yamaha to Ducati to turn his career around.

The former Moto2 champion spent one year at Pramac before returning home with the VR46 outfit, having previously been a graduate of Valentino Rossi’s Academy, which gave him another opportunity to impress on the same bike.

“They have been four very complicated years,” Morbidelli admitted to GPOne.

“In some [races] we didn’t make it by a narrow margin, in others we were really far away. Now to taste we are back on top and it will be nice stay there.

“Already last year, with the new bike, it should have been the moment of my rebirth, but just when we all thought the nightmare, we sank even further down, because I got injured and there were so many problems.

“Then the 2024 season ended with very good feelings, this year we got off to a very good start, and the extra year of experience on the bike gives me more feeling.”

Morbidelli discusses more about his internal battles

The Roma-born rider opened up about his internal battles throughout the four years.

“I had moments when I felt like I was forgetting how good it could be to be here, I had time to think about whether I was still capable, I had time to wonder if I was doing enough.

“I had time to think about lots and lots of things, good and bad.

“Now I am not even able to clearly say how I feel, it will be the Prosecco,” he joked.

Soft tyre choice paid dividends in the Sunday race

Morbidelli’s podium brought his championship tally to 37 points in the championship, six behind third-place rival Francesco Bagnaia.

The Italian explained that a challenging Saturday prompted a change in tyre choice for the main race, selecting the soft tyre compound.

“Yesterday actually I didn’t feel good on the bike and it got worse. In any case, today [Sunday] I chose the soft tyre, I knew I would have to give everything I had at the beginning of the race to make up as many positions as possible and afterwards focus mainly on managing the situation.

“During the race I saw that I could control the pace pretty well. I could not have caught up with Alex and Marc [Marquez], I just watched them from behind and it was a good battle.

“I will try in the future to improve the start of the weekend and the time attack to start a little bit ahead, because starting so far behind is not recommended to finish in the top 3.

“Finally, we still need to sort out that something we are lacking to stay with the two brothers.”

The post Franco Morbidelli ends four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina amid self-doubt battles appeared first on Motorsport Week.

VR46 Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli outlined his main goal for the upcoming Argentinian MotoGP race weekend.

Morbidelli produced a fourth place finish in the Sunday race after qualifying ninth at the season opener in Thailand.

The Italian sits fourth in the standings after a successful weekend, marking his best start to a season in his MotoGP career.

Morbidelli revealed that the focus is delivering strong results in the races, rather than aiming for a specific position.

Speaking ahead of the Argentina race weekend on Thursday, Morbidelli told GPOne: “I’m not expecting any particular result, I’m just focused on doing a good Grand Prix.

“We have to proceed as we did in Thailand, where the result was an actual mirror of our level.

“We are very focused on not making mistakes to run flawless weekends. The potential of the bike is very high and that is what we have to exploit to chase the top 5 in all GPs.

“In Buriram, we did that, and we have to do it here as well, trying to fill in what we lack from time to time.”

Morbidelli reviewed past race tapes to enhance his knowledge

After the cancellation of the 2024 edition, the upcoming race weekend marks the first time the 30-year-old will be racing with Ducati at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo.

Morbidelli’s best result in the South American race came in 2023 with Yamaha, finishing fourth in both the Sprint and Grand Prix, marking his best results of the season.

He explained that he took the time between races to study his previous race to enhance his knowledge, but he knows that the 2023 Yamaha and his current GP24 have completely different characteristics.

“I watched a lot of videos from 2023 and was very happy to see what I was able to do with Yamaha.

“The last time a Yamaha qualified in fourth position I think it was right here with me two years ago.

“This year I think it will be a tough challenge to adapt the bikes to the track, to sort out the set-up, the electronics, the balance and whatnot.

“I don’t know what it will be like to race on this track again after two years, for sure it will be all the more difficult than in Thailand.

“In any case, I hope I can replicate a great performance.”

READ MORE – Jorge Martin confirms he will miss the Americas MotoGP round

The post Franco Morbidelli outlines Argentina MotoGP goals after strong Thai season opener appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Fabio Di Giannantonio has provided a health update after his shoulder surgery which caused him to miss the final two races of the MotoGP season.

The Italian ended his 2024 season after the Thai Grand Prix in October after he dislocated his shoulder earlier in the year at the Austrian Grand Prix in August.

Despite not riding, the Italian was present at the end-of-season Barcelona test to provide an update on his situation heading into the 2025 season.

Di Giannantonio underwent a successful operation on the 2nd of November but confirmed he will not be at full fitness by the time the February Sepang test comes around.

“I’m good. These days I’m much, much better compared to last week,” he said to the media.

“I made the surgery on the Saturday of Malaysia. So, the first few days were tough, it was impossible to sleep and the pain was [a lot].

“But now I’m really good. Also, the medical staff are impressed with all the improvements I’m making day by day.

“So, that’s really good. After next week I will start to work also a little bit in the pool.

“In two weeks I will remove this [sling], so I can start to make the rehabilitation in an active way, moving the shoulder by myself.

“So, I’m completing the process. It’s a long process, a long winter, but I’m good at the moment.

“I think we’ve done it in the right timing, because even if I’m recovering a bit faster I will have the right time to train and be ready for next season, because the plan at the moment is for sure to make the first official test in Sepang.

“But I will not be 100% physically, because if you see me naked at the moment, for sure it will not be a big show – you will see I’ve lost a lot of muscles.

“So, to rebuild those muscles, to rebuild that energy, that stamina will take a long time. So, I think we’ve done everything in the right time.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio has a lot to look forward to in 2025

The VR46 Ducati rider was presented with a lifeline after losing his seat at Gresini at the end of the 2023 season.

Di Giannantonio impressed throughout the season, and as his team-mate Marco Bezzecchi signed for Aprilia, he was awarded a fresh two-year contract extension and a factory spec bike for 2025.

After he shared with the media his health update, he said he was observing testing with a focus on Ducati’s test rider Michele Pirro.

The Italian replaced Di Giannantonio in his absence and tried to accumulate as much data as possible on the GP25 and its characteristics.

The Roma-born rider indicated he didn’t want to know Pirro’s “feelings” on the bike but was informed of the specific parts implemented.

“Let’s say that with Michele we didn’t speak that much at this moment of the day, because he’s working,” he added.

“Also, the team and Ducati don’t want me to know too much the feelings from the new bike to not have [expectations] when I’m back on the bike, so to have a clear head when I try the bike.

“But also for sure I know what they are trying, where they are working and where the new bike will be. But I don’t want to know the feelings. So, we are speaking but in a distant way.” 

The post Fabio Di Giannantonio reveals he won’t be ‘100%’ for Sepang MotoGP test appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Fabio Di Giannantonio will go back to Europe for an “important appointment” regarding his left shoulder injury following the end of the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix.

Di Giannantonio recorded his best weekend results at Motegi since his injury, finishing sixth in the Sprint and eighth in the Sunday race.

The VR46 rider dislocated his shoulder in Austria around the Red Bull Ring in August, leading to him playing catch-up in the rounds that have occurred since then.

After missing the event itself and reportedly relying on painkillers for the subsequent races, Di Giannantonio acknowledges he doesn’t want to make matters worse.

This “important meeting” will determine the severity of his injury and whether surgery is required, leaving the Italian in a predicament of what he should do next.

An option could be to see him undergo surgery and, as a result, miss the rest of the season so he can return to full strength to test his GP25 Ducati on January 31st.

“On Wednesday I have an important appointment to understand how will be my condition for the rest of this season, or next year. So after that we will understand everything,” di Giannantonio said via Crash.net.

“For sure, as I said many times, my goal is to do as many races as possible and finish the season in a good way.

“But also, the important thing is to arrive next year at 100% from the first test.

“So we have many things to consider. Let’s see. We have to consider my will to race but also to recover [fully] for next season.”

Di Giannantonio feels as fast like in the ‘old times’

The Italian described his weekend as “bittersweet” because he feels as though he is as fast as in the “old times”.

The 25-year-old finished in the points in the Sprint and Sunday race for the first time since Silverstone, the race weekend before the injury occurred.

“A bittersweet feeling because I’m super-happy about the weekend overall, because I have been fast like the ‘old times’ before my injury and we showed good speed again,” di Giannantonio said.

“But a pity for the race because the first lap was a real jungle and it destroyed a bit my result.

“I think we could have been fighting with Morbidelli and Binder [fifth and sixth] because my pace was really similar after the first third of the race.

“So, a pity, but happy with the race overall.”

The post Fabio Di Giannantonio provides an update on injured shoulder appeared first on Motorsport Week.

VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio has heaped praise on the current MotoGP bikes, citing how the modern specification feels like “riding Formula 1 with two wheels”.

The current specification 2024 bikes have seen a sizeable increase in top speed, resulting in several lap records being broken at the beginning of the 2024 season.

While this received criticism from some in the paddock, including Gresini Ducati rider Marc Marquez, Di Giannantonio has said the bikes give him more satisfaction.

“It depends because as a rider, at the moment, the MotoGP bike is just fantastic. I would never go back honestly,” he told Autosport.

“A MotoGP bike has to be a prototype. A full prototype bike and has to be the maximum expression of motorcycle engineering.

“Honestly, I go crazy when I see all the new aero things, all the new devices, all the power that we have, because at the end we are riding a Formula 1 [car] with two wheels.

“But it has to be like this from my point of view.”

While the current aero might provide quicker bikes and record lap times, the caveat is the racing product in races as following competitors has become even tougher.

The Italian didn’t make his premier-class debut until 2022, which provides the argument that he himself has never experienced racing without the present regulations that are in force today. But although he accepts this point of view, he still remains firm that MotoGP should keep the regulations unchanged.

“For the show, at the moment, it’s a bit more critical because with all the things that we have it’s becoming worse and worse to do some overtakes,” he added.

“But as a rider the [current] MotoGP bike is fantastic. I would never go back. Maybe we have to go back but I would never go back.”

The post Di Giannantonio: MotoGP bikes like ‘riding F1 with two wheels’ appeared first on Motorsport Week.