Marco Bezzecchi
VR46 team director Alessio Salucci has picked out four potential options for the team amid the uncertainty surrounding Fabio Di Giannantonio’s future.
Di Giannantonio, 27, has been with VR46 since his move from Gresini back in 2024. However, the Italian’s contract is set to expire at the end of this year.
It has been reported that Di Giannantonio is currently in talks with Ducati over a potential new deal, but it cannot be guaranteed that he will remain with VR46 when the 2027 season gets underway.
Last week, it was claimed that Di Giannantonio could replace Ai Ogura at Trackhouse if VR46 refuse to give him the same bike as Fermin Aldeguer, who is set to join from Gresini.
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Alessio Salucci names four possible options for VR46
Speaking recently to Motorsport Italia, VR46 team boss Salucci stated that he has multiple plans in place in the event that Di Giannantonio does leave the team.
Salucci named the likes of Luca Marini, Franco Morbidelli, Celestino Vietti and Nicolo Bulega as potential options.
He said: “Of course, everything is possible here. We have plan B, C, and D. Well, as I was saying before, it’s a priority, and I’d hate to move on to plan B, but in this sport, in this world and also in life, you always have to have plan B and even C sometimes. Yes, we have it.
“There’s Maro, whom I don’t know if he’ll be reconfirmed. I don’t know exactly how things are going there. You never know, Franco himself, because in any case, this morning we worked a lot with Franco in these days and this morning he did a shift as Top Rider.
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“I like Vietti, Cele is in my heart, why not Bulega? There are many, many other situations that I’m not ashamed to say, I’m telling you. It’s really fun, but a delicate moment.
“We’re working so hard, and what you do in these two months, you carry with you for the next two or three years. We are doing the best for our team, and I hope it’s Diggia, if it’s not him, then I’m very sorry, but we’ll see.”
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Alessio Salucci hopes Fabio Di Giannantonio will stay with VR46 for the ‘next few years’
When asked to deliver an update on Di Giannantonio’s future, Salucci said that they are looking to table a ‘worthy’ offer and hopes that the 27-year-old will stay put.
He said: “First of all, I’m very happy, it makes me happy because I remember two years ago that when we took him, he had nothing, so having believed in him, we believed in him, we did. Now, you’re giving me a new market, I’m happy.
“On the other hand, things are a little more complicated. We look after him, we look after us, he looks after us. We are trying to build him an offer worthy of today in all aspects that were there both on the technical and on the economic side.
“We hope to succeed, and we hope that he chooses to stay with us for the next few years.”
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