“Not going equally”: Fabio Di Giannantonio ‘not happy’ about MotoGP testing time

MotoGP is set to maintain it usual policy of allowing only rookies and test riders to participate in its traditional ‘shakedown’ test at Sepang next February, which has drawn mixed opinions from current riders.

2027 of course will see major technical changes in MotoGP, as the 1,000cc engines are replaced by 850cc units, ride height devices are banned, and Pirelli replaces Michelin as the series’ official tyre supplier.

For some riders, the technical changes are compounded by a switch in manufacturers. Fabio Di Giannantonio is among them, as he is set to swap VR46 Ducati for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team.

The change of brands is not only something that will add to the complication next year, but will also reduce the amount of experience the riders changing factories will have on the new bikes and tyres, as highlighted at the post-race test in Brno before the summer break where only Pedro Acosta and the two factory Honda riders were able to ride despite moving manufacturers for 2027.

This lack of track time on the new machinery means most of those who will change brands will not taste 850cc machinery with Pirelli tyres until November’s Valencia test in early December, with only four days of official testing due in 2027 before the first race at the beginning of March.

This puts the current riders who are changing manufacturers at an obvious experience deficit to not only riders like Marc Marquez who already rode the 850cc Ducati in Brno and will ride it again next Monday at the Red Bull Ring test, but also to rookies who will be able to ride in the Sepang Shakedown, and especially to Nicolo Bulega, who not only has Pirelli experience from his time in WorldSBK but has also been involved in Ducati’s 850cc testing programme throughout 2026.

As a rookie, Bulega will be eligible for the Shakedown test as well. Even without those two days, Bulega will have much more experience on the 2027 bike than any other rider on next year’s grid, but allowing non-rookies to ride at the Sepang Shakedown would make things more equal, in Di Giannantonio’s opinion.

“For sure, what's happening is not a thing that I'm happy with, because for sure we will have just four days to understand the new bike – on my case, new team, new tires,” said Di Giannantonio about the Sepang Shakedown continuing to be reserved for rookies and test riders in 2027.

“I know that Fabio Quartararo said, for example, for him it would be alright to have only four days on the bike. But honestly, I think you have to be really lucky that in four days you will find the perfect setup, perfect balance, perfect everything to be able to win the first race. 

“For sure, at the moment, Bulega is the guy with the most experience on the new bike. 

“Now they will arrive more riders trying the new bike, so they will have some more advantages too. 

“But, on my side, for sure, I would like to have more time to be as ready as I can for the first race. 

“So, at the moment, I think the things are not going quite equally for everybody.”

Di Giannantonio added that there is not much the riders who want the change to happen can do because there are also riders who do not want the situation to change.

“It's really difficult, because at the moment, as always, we don't have a rider association or something,” the VR46 Racing Team rider said.

“But also, at the moment, the riders that could be part of the rider association can be against the riders [who want the change]. 

“It's a tough situation at the moment, and I think that [there’s] not much the parties involved can do, apart from MotoGP itself that can decide how much time a rider can have before the first race. 

“It's like, I feel like, the regulations that we have with the training bikes, that we have pretty strict regulations, I think we should put something like this for the next year, especially for the first races, because, for sure, it's not equal for everybody.”

Marini: "We are ready for this"

Honda HRC rider Luca Marini is in the same position as Di Giannantonio for 2027 in that he is changing team and manufacturer, moving to the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team.

But Marini is not bothered about having only four days of testing in the new year.

“The [shakedown] rule at the moment is like this [only rookies and test riders], so we need to adapt and we need to do our best,” he said.

“We are MotoGP riders and in two days we need to do all the job.

“Especially understand well the tyres, and also the new bike for the guys that change manufacturers like me, like Pecco [Francesco Bagnaia, moving from Ducati to Aprilia], will be a little bit more tricky, more difficult. 

“But we are ready for this, no problem.”