Di Giannantonio, Rossi’s call and a dig at Marquez: “You have to look, Bez was in”

A good result for Diggia in the Lusail sprint race, where he also had a few words for Marquez over his contact with Bezzecchi.

Starting from third on the grid and finishing second: Fabio Di Giannantonio enjoyed a brilliant MotoGP Sprint in Qatar. On the final lap, he overtook a tenacious Jorge Martin, who gave everything to stay ahead despite an injured hand, only conceding in the closing stages. 

The Pertamina VR46 team rider needed this result after feeling somewhat disappointed that his performances had fallen short of expectations. On Thursday, he had also pointed out that his Ducati Desmosedici GP26 was about 10 km/h down on top speed, while on Friday, after practice, he noted that Iker Lecuona had been around 5–6 km/h faster on the same bike. In short, it was a frustrating situation, but he managed to turn things around with the help of effective work alongside his team. Now he must confirm his competitiveness in today's full-length race at the Lusail International Circuit.

Although he will race for the Red Bull KTM Factory team in 2027, his relationship with the VR46 team will come to an entirely amicable end. During the celebrations after his Sprint podium, Diggia also received a congratulatory video call from Valentino Rossi, the team's owner. It was a special moment for him and all the men in yellow.

The Marquez-Bezzecchi contact was the main talking point of Saturday's MotoGP action in Qatar, with the Aprilia rider crashing at Turn 1 on lap four. Di Giannantonio was right behind them and saw what happened. After the sprint race, as they walked together towards the podium area, he had a few words for the Spaniard: "Bez crashed right in front of me. Anyway, you have to look when you rejoin, f***, he was right inside, he was right here".

In Diggia's view, Marc was responsible for the incident, but Marquez replied by explaining what he later reiterated to the media: "It was him; I didn't do anything unusual, just my usual line. I did that on every lap".

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