VR46 Ducati goes from “amazing” to “impossible” at Qatar MotoGP
Fabio di Giannantonio says his Ducati went from “amazing” in warm-up to “impossible to lean” during Sunday's Qatar MotoGP.
Fabio di Giannantonio said his VR46 Ducati was the best it had felt in two years after topping the timesheets during warm-up for the Qatar MotoGP.
But hopes of fighting for a repeat of his 2023 Lusail victory ended early in the race.
The Italian, who qualified on the front row and had been runner-up in the Sprint, said his bike became "impossible" to lean due to "‘massive" vibrations, leaving him as the slowest Ducati for parts of the race.
di Giannantonio, who has battled top speed problems in recent events, emphasised Sunday's issue was “out of our control”, suggesting the chatter might have been tyre-related.
“This morning after warm-up I told my team that it was the most enjoyable bike I’d ridden in the last two years!” di Giannantonio said.
“I had an amazing bike, and I could do anything I wanted; we were fast.
“We were ready to have a great performance in the race. But unfortunately, after a few laps, it was impossible to lean, I had massive vibrations. So something out of our control for sure.
“Let’s keep the positives. We were fast in the Sprint, but then in the main moment of the weekend we were unable to show our potential again.
“But these things happen and it’s out of our control, so let’s move on.”
di Giannantonio finished eighth and remains sixth in the World Championship, as the next-best Ducati rider behind title leader Marc Marquez.
The Italian is mathematically within reach of fourth-placed Pedro Acosta, whose factory KTM seat he will take over in 2027, with two rounds remaining.
VR46 team-mate Franco Morbidelli finished eleventh on his year-old GP25 machine.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
