Fabio di Giannantonio secured the highest place for Ducati at the Thai MotoGP in Buriram, overcoming a technical problem that affected his performance during Sunday’s race. The Italian rider, part of the VR46 team, started strong after qualifying near the front of the second row but faced challenges that prevented a podium finish.
Early Race Challenges and Technical Difficulties
Di Giannantonio’s chances in the Sprint race ended on the first lap when Alex Marquez forced him wide, putting him at a disadvantage. Despite this, he quickly recovered to hold sixth place in the main grand prix. However, from lap six onward, an unspecified technical issue arose, which hampered his ability to maintain pace and fight for a higher position.
A great weekend, a great job from the team,
di Giannantonio told MotoGP.com.
I want to keep the focus on that because we have many positives from the weekend. We are really strong. I think we’ve done an amazing job. I’ve been super-fast in all the practices. But then, we got some quite unlucky moments: Yesterday [in the Sprint] and today with a technical issue since lap six today. So, luck was not on our side.
– Fabio di Giannantonio, Rider
Managing the Unknown Issue and Its Impact
The exact nature of the problem remained undisclosed by di Giannantonio, though he ruled out direct tyre trouble and hinted the issue caused overheating. This complication made it increasingly difficult for him to push the bike aggressively during the race.
It was just difficult to ride, let’s say.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t push as I wanted for this reason,
he added.
Race Developments and Final Positioning
In the closing laps, di Giannantonio dropped to seventh following a pass by Joan Mir but was briefly elevated back to fifth after the retirements of Mir and notable factory Ducati rider Marc Marquez. However, Ai Ogura from Trackhouse Aprilia overtook him just two laps before the finish, leaving di Giannantonio to settle for sixth place.
If we can finish sixth despite a problem, we can be optimistic, because today we could have had a really great race,
he said.
I think we could have fought at least for third place because we were there in terms of pace. We knew that Aprilia were really, really strong here. We knew that Pedro [Acosta] was in form, but I think we were there at the end. So, at least I would have tried it, but I couldn’t.
– Fabio di Giannantonio, Rider
Looking Forward Beyond Buriram
Di Giannantonio expressed regret over missing the opportunity to secure two strong finishes but remained confident about upcoming races. With the Brazilian GP approaching, he highlighted the resilience and competitiveness demonstrated by the team throughout the Thai Grand Prix weekend.
It’s a pity we couldn’t complete the job with two strong races, but we head to Brazil with a smile and the confidence that we can be competitive.
– Fabio di Giannantonio, Rider
Buriram marked the first premier-class grand prix since Aragon in 2021 without a Ducati rider on the podium, highlighting the challenges faced by the team during the race. Di Giannantonio’s teammate, Franco Morbidelli, riding the satellite-spec GP25, finished in eighth place.
