Fabio Di Giannantonio praises one VR46 change which has prompted a ‘big step’ at the Qatar Grand Prix

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Fabio Di Giannantonio ran as one of the lead pack during the Grand Prix of Qatar sprint race on his way to sixth place.

The Italian rider finished just five seconds off Marc Marquez and was in the fight for fourth place during the final lap on his very quick VR46 bike.

The race wasn’t without issue for Di Giannantonio, who struggled off the start and could have been in an even better position throughout the 11-lap race.

It leaves room for improvement during the Grand Prix of Qatar and should mean that contending for a podium isn’t without reach.

VR46 may have an issue with Di Giannantonio if he continues to clash with teammate Franco Morbidelli on track.

Di Giannantonio was ‘really angry’ with Morbidelli after a battle during the Grand Prix of Americas sprint race. Things got very hot between the two.

READ MORE: Fabio Di Giannantonio and Francesco Bagnaia agree on VR46 chief Valentino Rossi attending the Grand Prix of Qatar

Fabio Di Giannantonio praises VR46 for ‘big step’ at the Grand Prix of Qatar

VR46 have been the second-fastest MotoGP outfit this year, behind the factory Ducati team but competing for podiums at every event.

It appears that they may have taken another stride at Lusail, with setup changes boosting Di Giannantonio’s feeling on the bike.

“For the race we made a change that allowed me to go back to riding the way I want,” he told the Italian edition of Motorsport.com.

“This weekend we made a change going back to the set-up from the beginning and that I know well, just with some adjustments for the track.

“And so we made a big step forward. Apart from the particular situation I had, I was going very fast.”

READ MORE: Fabio di Giannantonio admits he can’t yet match one thing Francesco Bagnaia does on Ducati MotoGP bike

Who has been the better VR46 rider in MotoGP this season?

Both Morbidelli and Di Giannantonio sit inside the top five of the riders’ standings after three and a half weekends.

It’s the former who has been more impressive, with a tally of 62 points – 13 more than his rival across the garage.

Di Giannantonio has been recovering from a pre-season collarbone injury, which he sustained while trying to pull a wheelie in Sepang.

It was a frustrating setback for himself and his team, but since then, he has proven that he has pace on the Ducati bike.

Expect both riders to be very close for the rest of the year and pose a challenge for their team to manage as the campaign develops.