Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Di Giannantonio has beaten Marc Marquez in the opening two Grand Prix of the 2026 MotoGP season, which has perplexed the Ducati rider.
No one would have expected Diggia to be Ducati’s top rider after the first two weekends of 2026. But that is precisely what has happened, with the VR46 rider sitting fourth in the standings.
The Italian finished sixth in Thailand after Marc Marquez was forced to retire with a rear rim failure. He went even better in Brazil as Di Giannantonio grabbed his first pole position since 2022.
Aprilia grab a 1-2 as Fabio Di Giannantonio beats Marc Marquez to the Brazilian GP podium 👏 but who was your Rider of the Race?
Marquez got the better of him in the Sprint, but neither of them could beat the Aprilias on Sunday, as Marco Bezzecchi claimed victory from Jorge Martin. But it was the VR46 rider who again came out on top for Ducati.
Diggia was third ahead of Marquez at Goiania, making him Ducati’s best finisher in the first two races of 2026. The defending champion gave the 27-year-old his credit in Brazil, but that is not how he really felt.
Marc Marquez was left wondering how Fabio Di Giannantonio beat him in Brazil
Journalist Mela Chercoles was asking riders how Marquez had lost to Diggia in Brazil. It turns out that the Spaniard was wondering exactly the same thing.
He said via the Motociclismo YouTube channel: “And Marc himself has also been left wondering how on earth Di Giannantonio could beat him in a battle for the podium, which wasn’t exactly expected.
“Well, Marc played it down and made it sound like no big deal. He said Diggia is also a good rider, right? And that’s it, and although he wasn’t feeling comfortable all weekend, he’s taking the positives from it.
“His brother Alex wasn’t too keen on the question; he didn’t exactly answer it, he said: ‘There are 42 races, 44.’
“I was just about to add that, he was, of course, on zero points from Thailand and had to finish no matter what. The track wasn’t exactly a joy to ride, I mean, there were sections with gravel, with loose tarmac, and a crash could happen at any moment to anyone.”
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Fabio Di Giannantonio proves he can fight Marc Marquez in 2026
In 2025, Di Giannantonio was no competition for Marquez, as he struggled to extract performance on the GP25 as he could. But on the GP26, he is much more comfortable.
The Italian looks confident and aggressive on the new factory spec, proving that he is able to fight with Marquez at the front.
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Diggia picked up ideas on how to battle Marquez in Brazil, having fought with him closely in the Sprint and the Grand Prix.
Carlo Pernat thinks Diggia is ‘not afraid’ of Marquez in 2026. After the first two races, it is hard to argue against that, as the VR46 rider has made some strong progress.
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