Official Programme # QatarGP 56
“ DUDE, IT’ S WAY BETTER, WAY BETTER! LAST YEAR SOME COLLEAGUES WERE SAYING, NO NO, THE GP23-GP24 IS THE SAME BIKE, BUT... IT ' S LIKE ANOTHER WORLD COMPLETELY.”
Qatar holds a special place in the heart of Fabio Di Giannantonio. It was the scene of his lone MotoGP™ victory to date, achieved when his future in the class was far from secure at the end of 2023.
From there, the popular Italian has gone from strength to strength. His consistency through 2024 before a troublesome left shoulder injury earned him a full factory Ducati GP25 for this season – one of only three on the grid.
And after a troubled winter, when he broke his left collarbone during testing at Sepang, which complicated that shoulder recovery, we are starting to see the best of Di Giannantonio once again.
Qatar is where he is expecting to race for the first time in an age at full fitness.“ To be at 100 % about zero pain or zero ache on the shoulder, and also having top form physically, we have to wait until Qatar,” he said at the season opener in Thailand.“ So my mentality and also the mentality of the team is to arrive in Qatar fully fit. Until then, we will be getting better and better.”
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
That’ s been the theme of his season to date. With just one day of preseason testing under his belt, Di Giannantonio gradually built up his speed in the early races. A tenth in race one was excellent in the circumstances.“ Proud of the team, proud of me, proud of the staff that I have at home. We made I think something really big( after) coming to the race, racing in MotoGP without knowing at all the bike, without doing any kind of test, without any kind of training on the shoulder- I didn ' t do a push up since 6 months, since the first injury in Austria last year. I cannot do it. So I have zero physical condition.”
That was followed up with a brilliant fifth place in Argentina. Which poses the question: could he be podium ready by the time Qatar rolls around? With the Ducati GP25 at his disposal, Fabio believes anything is possible.
“ Dude, it’ s way better, way better! Last year some colleagues were saying, no no, the GP23-GP24 is the same bike, but... It ' s like another world completely. Much much much faster. The power is insane. The traction is unbelievable. The turning of the bike is really... I think there ' s not 1 second difference, but over a race distance, it could be( that much).”