‘F1 has taught us this’ - One Ducati MotoGP rider’s intriguing Hungary aero approach

VR46 MotoGP rider Fabio Di Giannantonio has opened up on his Formula 1-inspired approach to aero packages at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The third-placed rider in the 2026 MotoGP standings began the Hungary weekend on Ducati’s 2026-spec aero, but switched to the older style for Saturday’s action at Balaton Park.

Typically, a rider will stick with one aero fairing once they’ve found the set-up that provides them with the best feeling on the bike.

But Fabio Di Giannantonio says he will swap between packages based on the characteristics of a circuit.

“On my side, I’ve always thought this, and also F1 has taught us this, that maybe a fairing can give you one thing and take out one thing,” he said when asked about his aero switch.

“So, maybe in some places, with different levels of grip, different speeds, I think we have at this moment two aero packages that do different things.

“So, at the moment, on my side at least, it’s more of a set-up thing.”

Asked if this can cause confusion when tweaking bike set-up, he replied: “At the moment, on the data, it shows quite well what we are asking from this aero.

“So, it’s pretty easy to understand if you really need it or not.”

Di Giannantonio qualified fourth at Balaton Park despite a crash early on in FP1, but slumped out of the points to 10th after a poor start in the sprint.

He says he got away well enough, but says he struggled with the front-end in the early laps because of how much grip he had.

“The start was not so bad, but then the first corners, it was really difficult for me to push, because with the way we have the bike set up, I’m really struggling with the front in the first laps because I have a lot of [rear] grip,” he said.

“This is a thing that usually happens during the year, but when you start in front you don’t feel it so much because you are doing your pace.

“But now I was in the back, it was really difficult in the beginning to attack, and I was getting attacked.

“Then the bike was starting to be better and better and better. But it was really difficult to get ahead of Pecco.”

On his Q2 crash, Di Giannantonio says he was “lucky” his engine didn’t cut out and meant he didn’t need to go behind the barrier to restart his bike.

However, with the finger injury he sustained in the Alex Marquez incident at Barcelona, he says he wouldn’t even try to keep his hands in place to pull the clutch lever to keep the engine from stalling.

“I lost the front, I was away from the bike,” he said.

“Mine was not stopped; it was still running. I was lucky.

“Honestly, with my finger at the moment, I would not risk to keep my hands on the bike if I crash.

“I don’t care. If I crash, I will take the bike and try to rejoin. But I think my finger is much more important.”