Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Di Giannantonio’s impending move to KTM has once again highlighted that Ducati have a wage structure problem in MotoGP.
It emerged during the French Grand Prix weekend that Di Giannantonio is heading to KTM to become Alex Marquez’s teammate despite VR46’s desire to keep him. ‘Diggia’ is the top-ranking Ducati in this year’s world championship.
Contracted directly to the Borgo Panigale factory, the Italian is the nearest challenger to the two Aprilia riders in the championship and is the only one on this year’s grid with multiple pole positions.
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Ducati keep being outbid for riders as Fabio Di Giannantonio seals £1.7m KTM deal
According to Motorsport.com, Di Giannantonio’s KTM deal is worth around €2m (£1.7m) per season.
Di Giannantonio was reportedly earning £350k at Ducati, so this represents a nearly sixfold increase.
As pointed out by The Race, Ducati bosses have been reluctant to hand out ‘lavish’ contracts ever since their unsuccessful move for Jorge Lorenzo. Despite their recent dominance, they aren’t one of the biggest spenders on the grid.
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Aprilia riders Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, currently one-two in the championship, left Ducati at the end of 2024, though the prestige of factory status also played a part in their decision.
Ducati refused to meet David Alonso’s wage demands, and now he’s set to join Honda instead.
Maintaining a strict wage structure clearly has its benefits, and Ducati’s success on track justifies their pragmatism, but now that Aprilia are threatening to dislodge them with two former Desmosedici riders and the in-form Di Giannantonio is leaving, there may be more questions.
Valentino Rossi wanted Fabio Di Giannantonio to give him more time
Motorsport also reveal that Di Giannantonio gave Ducati until last Friday to make him an offer that met his demands. Valentino Rossi’s squad then asked for more time to make a decision.
But Di Giannantonio wasn’t willing to wait any longer, perhaps wary of missing out on the KTM seat, and he accepted the rival proposal.
In addition to salary considerations, Di Giannantonio was apparently worried about Fermin Aldeguer’s arrival at VR46, which threatened to push him down the Ducati pecking order.
Now that he has decided to leave, VR46 could sign Nicolo Bulega, the Ducati test rider and World Superbike champion-elect, but Rossi’s half-brother Luca Marini is also an option.
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