The pre-race error and the request for help from Ducati: Di Giannantonio reveals the behind-the-scenes details

Di Giannantonio on the podium at Jerez, but he’s regretful about a decision made before the MotoGP race: could he have finished second?

Third step of the podium for Fabio Di Giannantonio, protagonist of an excellent performance today in Andalusia. There was a moment in the race when he even closed in on Marco Bezzecchi, but then he couldn’t attack and drifted away again from the Aprilia rider. He and the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team can be satisfied with today’s result, which puts the Roman in third place in the overall standings as the best Ducati rider.

Interviewed by Sky Sport MotoGP, Diggia revealed he has a regret about a choice made before the race at Jerez: "We knew it would be tough, because everyone at the front was fast. Alex was super strong, Marc was in form, and the Aprilias are always there. Honestly, I hoped for and believed in a little something more, but I was a bit of a chicken. For the Sprint we made a change that I really liked, but to stay conservative and not take risks we went back. Being the team leader, I take full responsibility. I made the mistake of not wanting to bet on that change, and today I struggled more than we expected. Beating Alex would have been complicated, but maybe we could have fought with Bezzecchi. Anyway, I’m happy."

The VR46 team rider would like to go back and adopt the solution that satisfied him in the Sprint, even though he obviously can’t be certain about the position he would have achieved: "I can’t say exactly what result I would have gotten using that change, but I think I could have been a bit quicker. I got the most out of what I had in the race, but I believe with that change I could have done a bit more."

Di Giannantonio wants to improve his race starts, since he often finds himself losing a few positions: "We have a big weak point at the start, he confirms — Today I launched slightly better, but at Turn 1 I got caught out. We definitely need to work on it and improve. I’ve talked a lot with Ducati these past few days and asked them for a hand, because evidently I’m not that good at starting with this bike. It’s really just a little thing, but that little bit here makes a big difference."

The 27-year-old also mentioned a strength and a weakness he feels when riding the Ducati Desmosedici GP26: "We have a very stable bike that lets me brake hard, but at the same time in fast sections I suffer quite a bit of understeer when there’s grip. That’s what we were missing today. Even though I hadn’t worn the rear tire that much, I couldn’t exploit it because I had a lot of understeer in the fast corners."