Fabio di Giannantonio Reflects on Bittersweet Australian MotoGP Performance: ‘I Could Have Fought Pecco for the Podium

Fabio di Giannantonio expressed mixed feelings, suggesting he might have had a chance to compete against Pecco. "I’m frustrated to be leaving without a trophy," he admitted.

Fabio di Giannantonio equaled his top performance of the season by finishing fourth in the Australian MotoGP, which is his second-to-last race before undergoing shoulder surgery.

The VR46 motorcyclist described the race at Phillip Island as potentially their top performance of the year.

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He found himself questioning whether a stronger qualifying performance and more effective engine settings could have closed the 2.8-second gap to Francesco Bagnaia, potentially securing a spot on the podium.

After narrowly escaping injury from debris caused by a Saturday collision between his team-mate Marco Bezzecchi and Maverick Vinales, Diggia improved his position from twelfth on the starting grid to ninth during the first lap of the grand prix.

The Italian racer was heavily involved in an intense competition throughout much of the race, contending fiercely against Enea Bastianini, Maverick Vinales, and Brad Binder.

After reverting to his initial engine settings, di Giannantonio accelerated ahead of his competitors, achieving his fastest lap of the race on the second-to-last lap.

However, Bagnaia was unable to secure a spot on the podium.

"I feel incredibly happy, although there's a touch of sadness," expressed di Giannantonio, who finished 12.997 seconds behind Marc Marquez, the race victor and fellow GP23 competitor.

"I believe I had an excellent race, possibly our best one this year. If we had started in a better position on the grid, we might have had the chance to challenge Pecco for a spot on the podium, as our speed was quite similar."

"Even yesterday, I sensed that I was in sync and capable of performing well. I'm truly pleased with that. However, I was also eager to win an award."

"I'm upset because I'm leaving without winning a trophy!"

Discussing the situation with the engine maps, di Giannantonio clarified:

"We intended to utilize every map available to us, but when I changed to the alternative maps, the bike's speed decreased. Changing maps turned out to be unnecessary."

"After I switched back to the correct setting, the bike started functioning properly, allowing me to find my pace, which I was confident I could maintain."

"In the end, my speed was incredibly high."

"In that case, without altering the maps, I might have been quicker and possibly attempted to close in on Pecco towards the finish."

"We should focus on the positives and find joy in them. Despite the injury setback, we delivered our strongest performance of the year, which shows that we're back to competing at a high level, even though the shoulder hasn't fully healed."

This weekend at Buriram, rider #49 will take his last MotoGP laps of the year. Consequently, he will be absent from both the Malaysian and Valencian races, in addition to the post-race test in Valencia.

Di Giannantonio expressed disappointment, stating that although the bike at the Valencia test won't be a complete GP25 model, he regrets not having the opportunity to test the new bike.

"It's unfortunate to miss the upcoming races, especially after delivering such a strong performance, because you want to keep going."

"Additionally, it's important to be smart and embrace what the future has in store."

In the initial phase of the race, Bezzecchi ran in second position. However, after serving a long lap penalty, he fell back to seventh place. Following a crash, he managed to get back on his bike but ended up spending the remainder of the race at the back of the pack.

Giannantonio is currently in ninth place in the rankings, sitting two spots and 16 points in front of Bezzecchi.

Following an operation, the 2023 Qatar champion is set to return to MotoGP during the pre-season testing at Sepang next year.

VR46 has not yet revealed who will take di Giannantonio's spot for the final two races. Speculation includes WorldSBK riders like Andrea Iannone, Danilo Petrucci, and Nicola Bulega, along with Ducati's test rider Michele Pirro as possible contenders.

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