Fabio Di Giannantonio’s Resilient Rise: A MotoGP Tale of Patience and Potential

Why Fabio Di Giannantonio's recent MotoGP contract is a warning sign

Fabio Di Giannantonio exemplifies why emerging MotoGP talents require extended opportunities

In what ranks as one of the most anticipated confirmations of the 2025 MotoGP rider lineup, Ducati's Davide Tardozzi inadvertently revealed details ahead of time at the British Grand Prix.

Fabio Di Giannantonio's signing of a two-year deal to race a top-tier factory bike with VR46 under the Italian brand is seen as a positive development.

In 2022, the decision for the 25-year-old to join MotoGP as part of the Gresini team was a vision the late owner Fausto had harbored for a while, effectively preventing the Italian racer from joining Aprilia, which was actively seeking new talent for the 2021 season.

Following the unfortunate passing of Fausto Gresini in early 2021, the team fulfilled his desire to support Di Giannantonio. However, Di Giannantonio's initial season fell short of expectations, accumulating only 24 points. His unimpressive performance in the first half of the 2023 season cast uncertainty over his future in MotoGP, a situation that was further complicated by the unexpected rumors of Marc Marquez joining the team.

After completing 14 races in 2023, Di Giannantonio had only accumulated 54 points. However, he then embarked on an extraordinary streak, achieving a top six finish for the first time, securing his initial podium, and ultimately clinching his inaugural win at the Qatar Grand Prix, all while his professional future was uncertain.

In the latter part of the 2023 season, Di Giannantonio's performance was outstanding, ranking him as the third top scorer, with only the world champion Francesco Bagnaia and the second-place title holder, Jorge Martin, ahead of him. If not for a penalty related to tyre pressure that cost him a podium spot in Valencia, he would have finished as the second-best among those three.

Despite connections to Honda, Di Giannantonio secured a spot in Valentino Rossi's team, stepping in for Luca Marini after his transition to HRC.

Facing Marco Bezzecchi, who held the third position in the 2023 rankings, there wasn't much optimism around Di Giannantonio's chances to surpass his esteemed colleague. Yet, following 10 rounds of the 2024 season, Bezzecchi is decidedly being outperformed.

Di Giannantonio presently holds the eighth position in the rankings with 104 points. With an average scoring rate of 10.4 points per race, he is projected to significantly surpass his total of 151 points from 2023. His team-mate, Bezzecchi, facing difficulties in mastering the GP23’s braking features, has only accumulated 61 points so far this year.

Bezzecchi has managed to secure a podium position ahead of Di Giannantonio, yet he has only managed to earn more points than him over a weekend on two occasions, highlighting Di Giannantonio's reliable performance with his set-up. Moreover, he ranks as the second top rider on the GP23, only surpassed by Marc Marquez, an achievement that is far from insignificant.

Di Giannantonio's performance improvements are largely due to his collaboration with crew chief Frankie Carchedi at Gresini the previous year. Carchedi, who secured a world championship with Joan Mir at Suzuki in 2020, shared with this correspondent last year that his protégé implemented a unique set-up compared to his Ducati counterparts. This approach enhanced Di Giannantonio's braking capabilities, allowing him to narrow the gap with fellow Desmosedici competitors, while also leveraging his ability to excel in corner exits.

At VR46, Di Giannantonio has been embraced as part of the team, even though he isn't a member of Rossi's Academy, and has further developed his skills under the guidance of David Munoz. Munoz, his crew chief, is set to join Alex Rins' team at Yamaha in 2025.

Di Giannantonio's performance this season has attracted considerable attention, leading to endorsements from notable figures like Fabio Quartararo, who openly favored him for a Pramac Yamaha seat before the summer hiatus.

Di Giannantonio's primary goal was to continue his tenure with VR46 while achieving a spot on the factory Ducati team, a milestone he has successfully reached. This achievement is particularly commendable given Ducati's decision to reduce its factory team to only three riders starting in 2025.

Undoubtedly, the pressure on Di Giannantonio will increase as he is now anticipated to consistently challenge for podium finishes in the GP25. However, his determination has been evident, indicating he's poised to seize this chance without hesitation.

His journey has often been compared to a fairytale, yet it's important to remember that this was a competitor with the ability to win races, who nearly found himself without a team, even after achieving first place on the podium.

In motorsport, speculation and hypothetical scenarios don't hold much weight; it's your latest performances that really matter. However, Di Giannantonio's experience in MotoGP illustrates that young riders require additional time to adjust. Not every newcomer from Moto2 can immediately match the exceptional talent of riders like Pedro Acosta or Fabio Quartararo.

In 2022, among the newcomers Di Giannantonio was competing against, Remy Gardner, who was the current Moto2 champion at the time, saw his MotoGP aspirations crumble in just half a season. Meanwhile, Darryn Binder's risky move directly from Moto3 to MotoGP turned out to be a short-lived endeavor. Although Binder's advancement to RNF was driven by financial reasons, and his departure coincided with Aprilia replacing Yamaha as its satellite partner, he was nevertheless given no opportunity to adjust.

Raul Fernandez, similar to Di Giannantonio in transitioning to MotoGP, was considered equally worthy of a prolonged tenure in the top tier by mid-2023, just like the Italian racer. However, his situation differed in that he had a two-year agreement with Aprilia following his initial season with KTM. His quick performances in 2024, along with support from Davide Brivio, have secured him an additional two-year contract with Trackhouse, racing on a factory Aprilia.

Undoubtedly, Di Giannantonio has rightfully earned his latest Ducati deal with VR46. This should act as a wake-up call to the hasty attitudes that have dominated MotoGP for far too long…

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