Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi has given a glowing review of Fabio Di Giannantonio’s race-winning performance at the Catalan Grand Prix.
Di Giannantonio gave Rossi’s VR46 team their first victory since Marco Bezzecchi at the 2023 Indonesian GP despite being struck by a loose wheel after Alex Marquez’s horror crash.
The Italian rider took the restart despite the injury and, after passing Pedro Acosta, secured his second win in the premier class after a previous triumph at the 2023 Qatar GP.
Which Italian rider should Valentino Rossi sign for VR46 in 2027?
Valentino Rossi on Fabio Di Giannantonio’s ‘incredible race’
Speaking live on Sky Sports Italy after the race, Rossi praised Di Giannantonio’s resilience. The 27-year-old kept one of his gloves on after the race, even on the podium, in an indication of his discomfort.
He decided to skip the Barcelona test on Monday so his hand could recover before the race in Mugello at the end of the month.
Rossi said: “My God, what a scare. It was tough. It was awful. I was there and I saw it. ‘Diggia’ could have been hurt too, but he was a dragon, an animal. He was truly strong on his comeback; he had an incredible race, he was so fast.
“He made all the overtakes as he should have, he didn’t make a single mistake, and in the last two laps, he was seven to eight tenths of a second faster than everyone else.
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“For me, he was even capable of doing 1:40.0s if the race had been 30 laps long. We are very proud of ‘Diggia’, of the whole team. It’s a fantastic victory, truly exciting.”
Di Giannantonio is emerging as a contender for the 2026 title, having closed the gap on Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi to 26 points with his win. This is a bittersweet development for Rossi and VR46, though, because he’s believed to be joining KTM for 2027.
Rossi is planning to sign an Italian rider to replace him, with Spaniard Fermin Aldeguer already set to join from Gresini. The incumbent Franco Morbidelli remains in contention but his results this year have been underwhelming.
‘You don’t really have much of a choice’ – Valentino Rossi on MotoGP riders racing after red flags
The decision to restart Sunday’s race after two red flags has split opinion within the paddock.
After an anxious wait for updates on Marquez, who was confirmed to be conscious, LCR’s Johann Zarco was injured at the first restart. Francesco Bagnaia and Luca Marini, also involved in the incident, rushed to his aid.
Should MotoGP riders have refused to restart the Catalan GP after the second red flag?
Pedro Acosta says it wasn’t ‘necessary’ to resume after the Zarco incident, and Jorge Martin agrees. The riders could theoretically have refused to race, but Rossi says this isn’t seen as an option.
He said: “In the end, you don’t really have that much of a choice. You can’t just get to the pits and say, ‘I’m scared, I’m not racing anymore, I’m going home.'”
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