Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio di Giannantonio has become the third rider to be ruled out of MotoGP’s Sepang Test after a brutal day one. The VR46 man suffered an accident at the end of the session.
Di Giannantonio had already spent the off-season in recovery. He missed the final three races of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury he’d sustained at the Austrian Grand Prix.
On social media, Di Giannantonio sounded optimistic about his shoulder. But he’s now broken his left collarbone, close to the affected area.
He’ll return to Italy for an operation, with the recovery timeline unclear. World champion Jorge Martin went to hospital earlier in the day after a violent highside.
Martin fractured his right hand and left foot in the incident. He too will have to undergo surgery, making him a doubt for the start of the season.
Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez joins them on the sidelines. For the second year of running, his test comes to an early end, this time following an off at turn nine.
VR46 wish Fabio di Giannantonio well after latest MotoGP crash
Diggia’s crash wasn’t picked up by MotoGP cameras, but one eyewitness told The Race what happened. He was making his way to the starting grid for a practice start.
On the exit of turn five, he attempted a wheelie, but it went rather disastrously wrong. For the second time on day one, he fell.
His first error was minor, but he will be ruing his late error of judgement. Publicly at least, his team are sympathetic.
The 26-year-old posted a yellow heart and bicep emoji under VR46’s Instagram post. The team then replied with ‘Daje’, a slang term meaning ‘come on’.
Valentino Rossi’s surprising stance on VR46 team ahead of 2025 season
Di Giannantonio is one of only three riders on the 2025-spec Ducati, together with the factory team duo. Teammate Franco Morbidelli is on the year-old bike, as are Gresini duo Fermin Aldeguer and Alex Marquez.
It’s unclear how, if at all, Ducati will change their test plans in light of the incident. It could affect the development of the new machinery.
KTM and Yamaha are the only manufacturers who retain a full complement for day two. But the spate of accidents shows just how dangerous MotoGP can be.
Team owner Valentino Rossi is unlikely to be impressed. Rossi has already felt disconnected from VR46, even though it carries his name, and views it predominantly as a business venture.
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