One Ducati star’s Portugal MotoGP hopes dashed in “the jungle”

Fabio Di Giannantonio says he was pushed down the field at the start of the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix after getting caught in the “jungle” in the first corners.

The VR46 rider started from ninth on the grid last weekend at the Algarve International Circuit, and was able to make good progress in the sprint on the Saturday to fifth.

But hopes of a repeat were dashed on the opening lap, as he slumped to 14th having been muscled down the order by what he termed the “jungle” of the first few corners.

Fabio Di Giannantonio was able to fight his way through to ninth by lap 11 of 25, but could only advance one spot more after a late pass on a struggling Johann Zarco.

The Italian, who was the leading GP25 at the finish, says less chaos in the first corners could have allowed him to fight further in front.

However, he laid the blame fully on his lacklustre qualifying.

“It was complicated from the first lap,” he said.

“The start was quite good, but then the first corner, the third corner, then the fifth corner was a jungle, and I was quite far back.

“So, I got to come back. I did a lot of overtakes, the pace was good, but only eighth.

“I think yes [my race would have been better with less battling in the first few corners], but with ifs and buts, you don’t go anywhere.

“So, we need to work on the qualifying, to start further in front and avoid this kind of situation on the first laps.”

Di Giannantonio hasn’t breached the top two rows in qualifying since the Catalan Grand Prix, where he finished third in the sprint.

He managed to come from 10th in Australia to second in the grand prix, while at Misano he was third in the sprint from seventh.

The VR46 rider only has two front row starts so far in 2025, in Austin and Hungary, both of which yielding podium finishes.

With just the Valencia Grand Prix finale to go, Di Giannantonio remains in a tight battle for sixth in the standings with team-mate Franco Morbidelli, with 12 points separating them.

Despite needing to go for checks in a local hospital after a lap one crash in Portugal, Morbidelli is expected to race this weekend in Valencia.