Di Giannantonio: why he’s leaving a race-winning Ducati to join KTM

Fabio Di Giannantonio, rider for the VR46 Ducati team, sits fourth in the MotoGP standings. In 2026 he has already taken one win and two podiums in long races, and five podiums in Sprints. After a blistering start to the season, he hit a slight setback in the last three Grands Prix. But at Misano he will have a good chance to move back toward the front.

The Aragon Grand Prix proved tougher than expected for Di Giannantonio. The gap to standings leader Jorge Martin has grown to 48 points, but the championship is still long. The Roman rider has spent much of the 2026 season as Ducati’s spearhead, clinching a win in Barcelona (his second in the MotoGP class). Fabio remains optimistic and prefers not to label himself among the world title contenders. "I think I have considerable speed," he told Crash.net. "Otherwise I wouldn’t have achieved the results I have, like the wins and podiums."

He’s far from considering himself a top dog, "because when I think of leading riders, I think of those who’ve won championships." Di Giannantonio has yet to win a world title, not even in the lower classes. "And now in MotoGP we’re working toward that. I think I have the potential to do it, but I still have to prove it on track... I’m comfortable being the ‘rebel wolf,’ not the underdog. Sometimes it puts me in a spot people like, where the underdog is fast and maybe beats someone else."

His performances on Valentino Rossi’s team Ducati earned him a factory contract with KTM for 2026—just three years after he nearly found himself out of MotoGP. He chose to swap a winning Ducati for an official contract. To leave a familiar environment and enter a completely new garage for him. "It was really tough," ‘Diggia’ stressed. "It’s the team that saved my career and also changed it. So I’m really grateful to them."

But the call of a factory team is too strong for any MotoGP rider. "I think it’s the right time to join an official team and try to become the face of a company, of a brand." From next season he will swap his official Ducati for an official KTM that hasn’t won since 2022.

It’s not just about money... "In a factory team the whole company works for you," Di Giannantonio continued. "And you are the result of all the work done by a great company... Having all the partners, all the sponsors, all the support, the entire company, to give you 100% the best possible bike to make you win is something that’s always fascinating."

At VR46 he certainly holds a prominent position, becoming the team’s lead rider. "But not for Ducati," the Roman rider clarified. "We have a factory bike, we have support from the manufacturer, we have the best possible components, but they weren’t made specifically for me. So, it’s a bit different... Being in an official team allows me to have a bike designed to suit my riding style, without having to adapt components designed for others."

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