Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez are the reference points for Fabio di Giannantonio at VR46 this season. He’s riding factory-spec Ducati machinery.
If Di Giannantonio loses out to Gresini’s Marc Marquez or teammate Franco Morbidelli this season, his stock will fall significantly. Ducati may have opted for last year’s engine but their bike is already more advanced than its predecessor and the gap will only grow once the championship gets to Europe.
The more positive spin is that Di Giannantonio has a golden opportunity to add to his solitary race win in the premier class. On the evidence of the season opener in Thailand, none of the rival manufacturers have made enough progress to end Ducati’s dominance.
Diggia should therefore be looking to finish inside the top three in the championship. His previous best is 10th, set last season.
The 26-year-old may need time to show his best form. He’s at a mileage deficit relative to his competitors after a pre-season testing crash.
Di Giannantonio is hoping Valentino Rossi attends more races in 2025. He believes the presence of the legendary team owner will motivate the Tavullia-based outfit.
Fabio di Giannantonio admits he’s not as good as Francesco Bagnaia on the brakes
In an interview with Crash, Di Giannantonio was asked to name his biggest strengths as a MotoGP rider. He immediately picked out tyre management.
The Italian also pointed towards corner exits and suggested he’s ‘one of the best brakers’ on the grid when feeling confident with his bike. But he needs to unlock this performance consistently.
He’s noticed that Bagnaia can extract the ‘very maximum’ from the bike in this department regardless of grip levels. Studying the data of the two-time world champion may be invaluable.
Bagnaia immediately noticed the braking deficiencies of the GP25 engine during testing. These escaped the attention of test rider Michele Pirro.
“I’m really good with tyre management,” Di Giannantonio said. “I always have been since I joined MotoGP. I’m really good at understanding the point of traction, so I have a really good connection with the throttle.
“Then, when I trust the bike, when I feel good with the bike, I can also be one of the best brakers.
“When not, I lose a little bit of this. So sometimes this becomes a bit of a weak point because there are other riders like Pecco who, no matter what the conditions, are always braking at the very maximum.”
Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez have promised each other one thing at Ducati
Di Giannantonio isn’t the only rider learning from Bagnaia. The 28-year-old ranks sixth on the all-time MotoGP wins list with 29.
Ai Ogura also studied Bagnaia when following him during the Thailand Sprint race. He was struck by the smoothness of his riding.
Bagnaia has tended to thrive on clockwise circuits that feature predominantly right turns. Conversely, Marquez has often been untouchable on anti-clockwise configurations.
Thus, Bagnaia and Marquez have formed a ‘pact’. They will tell each other their ‘secrets’, raising the team’s collective ceiling in the process.
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