Last year ’ s surprise package . Di Giannantonio hadn ’ t done a great deal in 2022 , his rookie MotoGP™ season , to suggest he ’ d be a frontrunner in the future . But his late 2023 turnaround carried him to a maiden premier class victory in Qatar and won over the hearts of many a neutral onlooker . Only Bagnaia and Martin scored more points in the final seven rounds , a run of form which earned him a late call up to the VR46 team . His adaptation to the year-old Desmosedici GP23 has been quick , although results haven ’ t quite gone to plan just yet . There ’ s good reason to believe he ’ ll be fighting for podiums at some stage this year .