Метка: Fabio Di Giannantonio

Ducati directly signs di Giannantonio for 2025 VR46 MotoGP seat

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Fabio di Giannantonio has agreed a contract directly with Ducati to race for the VR46 team in MotoGP next year.

As revealed by Motorsport.com last month, di Giannantonio has signed a two-year deal that will see him continue at Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP squad until the end of the current regulations in 2026.

He will be one of the only three riders on the 2025 grid to compete with the factory-spec GP25 on the back of his impressive performances so far with a year-old bike.

The 25-year-old had received an offer from Yamaha to race with its new satellite team Pramac, but has chosen to remain in Ducati’s stable after making his debut with the Borgo Panigale marque in 2022.

The news marks an impressive turnaround for di Giannantonio, whose future in MotoGP was at risk at the end of last year after six-time champion Marc Marquez took his seat at Gresini.

The Italian then found reprieve at VR46 and has put in a series of strong results since then to move up to eighth in the riders’ standings, three places ahead of team-mate and three-time grand prix winner Marco Bezzecchi.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«Being able to sign this contract was significant for me, and I am proud of it,” he said.

“I will be part of the Ducati family for two years and continue with my VR46 Racing Team. This represents a milestone and a significant starting point for my sporting growth. With Ducati’s support and having an official bike, we can continue to grow and achieve great things together. 

“I want to thank Ducati for its trust, Claudio, Gigi, Mauro, and the VR46 Racing Team that believed in me last year during a difficult moment. So, a big thank you also to Vale, Uccio, Pablo, all the team members, and my staff because this whole journey would never have been possible without them.»

VR46 takes over from Pramac as Ducati’s sole factory-supported team next year, and will get increased technical backing from the manufacturer as a result.

However, while VR46 wanted to get two of the latest GP25s from the factory next year, it will receive only one bike with the newest equipment in 2025 as part of a downsizing exercise from Ducati.

The team is expected to sign current Pramac rider Franco Morbidelli to replace Aprilia-bound Bezzecchi next year, as revealed by Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi at Silverstone.

Morbidelli will remain on his current GP24 bike in 2025.

Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna said: «We are happy to have Fabio Di Giannantonio among our Ducati riders for the next two years. 

“Diggia has always shown great confidence in our project, and his dedication and talent have led him to grow steadily in MotoGP. 

“We are confident that together with the VR46 Racing Team and having an official Desmosedici GP, he will have even more opportunities to bring out his full potential. Welcome officially to the Ducati family, Fabio!»

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Di Giannantonio to stay at VR46 until MotoGP 2026 after Ducati deal

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Fabio di Giannantonio will continue to race for VR46 until the 2026 MotoGP season after agreeing a deal with Ducati, Motorsport.com has learned.

As per the agreement, di Giannantonio has been guaranteed the full-factory spec GP25 from Ducati in 2025, having had to be content with year-old machinery during his first three years in MotoGP.

The Italian had a two-year offer from Yamaha to race for Pramac, but he is understood to have informed the Iwata-based brand on Saturday that he is not going to accept the contract.

This has paved the way for di Giannantonio to continue his association with VR46 for two more seasons, pending a final signature, although this time he would be directly contracted with Ducati — similar to the arrangement the Borgo Panigale brand has had with Pramac riders so far. 

Valentino Rossi’s team already had a renewal option with him as per their contract, but Ducati has now brought him directly under its wing.

In this way, it can continue to keep four factory riders in its roster, with the one-time grand prix winner set to join Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and the young Fermin Aldeguer, who is set to step up to MotoGP next year.

Aldeguer signed a deal with Ducati at the start of the year, but is awaiting information on the team with which he will be making his debut. He could either be slotted in at VR46 or Gresini, with Pramac moving to Yamaha, and will be racing with what will be then an year-old GP24 bike in 2025.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

After Pramac’s deal to become a Yamaha satellite team, VR46 will take on the role currently occupied by Paolo Campinoti’s structure. This means VR46 would function as a semi-official team with riders contracted directly to the factory and having access to same-spec bikes as Bagnaia and Marquez.

However, Ducati has decided to cut down the number of factory bikes on the 2025 grid from four to three, with the additional bike now being offered to di Giannantonio to convince him to stay with the Italian marque.

«Diggia is a rider that we like a lot and with VR46 we are working to bring that goal home a little bit. He is a rider who has grown a lot, we would be happy if we managed to keep him,» explained Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati, on Saturday.

All of it means that in just eight months Di Giannantonio has gone from being left without a team after the late signing of Marquez by Gresini for 2024 to becoming one of the only three riders on the grid to have the latest specification of MotoGP’s best bike.

Oliveira headed towards Pramac?

After di Giannantonio’s decision to stay put, Yamaha is now looking at Trackhouse rider Miguel Oliveira as its first choice for its new satellite team.

The idea is to pair an experienced hand with a rookie, with Oliveira and KTM outcast Jack Miller the only two real contenders coming with experience. For the rookie role, the most desired option is Sergio García, but Alonso Lopez and Toni Arbolino are also on the list.



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Quartararo outlines his preference for Pramac’s 2025 MotoGP line-up

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Fabio Quartararo wants Pramac to prioritise signing one-time MotoGP race winner Fabio Di Giannantonio for 2025 when it becomes a Yamaha satellite team.

During last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Yamaha announced it had signed a long-term deal with Pramac for it to become its factory-backed satellite partner from 2025.

Since that announcement, the list of riders linked to the two Pramac Yamahas has grown.

But on Thursday ahead of the German Grand Prix, 2021 world champion Quartararo made it clear who he thinks Pramac should be aiming for.

“This guy on my right [Di Giannantonio],” he said in the pre-event press conference at the Sachsenring.

“I think Fabio can be the one that can make a really good job for Yamaha.

“I’m pushing him on the way to Yamaha because, of course, the last 10 months he has been doing a really great job. We need a rider like him to really improve on our project.

“A rookie can be also a good idea. I think [Sergio] Garcia, [Alonso] Lopez are names that are really fast in Moto2 and they can earn their place into a team like Pramac that in the end it will not a be a satellite team – it’s an extension of the factory.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Di Giannantonio only had his 2024 ride confirmed after last season finished, with VR46 Ducati offering the 2023 Qatar GP winner a lifeline following Gresini’s decision to replace him with Marc Marquez.

On the 2023-spec Ducati at VR46, Di Giannantonio has scored double the points of his three-time GP-winning team-mate Marco Bezzecchi and is second-best GP23 rider in the standings behind Marquez.

The Italian confirmed he is in talks with Yamaha and VR46, which is set to get one factory Ducati in 2025 – and will “define” his “plan A” this weekend.

“I’m grateful of this situation and also to Fabio honestly, because to have these words from a colleague – a rival but also a friend – is always so good,” he said.

“It’s not a secret that we are talking with Yamaha, but also my team, and the plan C that I cannot say. I was talking with Fabio last week about how the project is.

“As I said, I’m in a good situation where I can decide my future and this weekend I will define, more or less, the way for my plan A.”

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Di Giannantonio would «never go back» from F1-like current MotoGP bikes

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The present-day MotoGP bikes have been getting faster and faster and breaking long-time lap records at many circuits, as manufacturers eke out more and more speed from the current ruleset ahead of a major regulations overhaul in 2027.

But a lot of the improved performance has come from increasingly sophisticated aero devices, which has led to criticism from some quarters.

Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has been a vocal critic of aero aids for many years, while 31-time grand prix winner Dani Pedrosa also expressed his disapproval after making a wildcard appearance in the Spanish Grand Prix last week.

However, Di Giannantonio is happy with the direction MotoGP has taken, highlighting the pleasure he derives from riding modern-day grand prix bikes.

«It depends because as a rider, at the moment, the MotoGP bike is just fantastic. I would never go back honestly,» he said. «A MotoGP bike has to be a prototype. A full prototype bike has to be the maximum expression of motorcycle engineering.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«Honestly, I go crazy when I see all the new aero things, all the new devices, all the power that we have, because at the end we are riding a Formula 1 [car] with two wheels. But it has to be like this from my point of view.»

One of the arguments put forward against aero dependence is the detrimental effect it has on racing, as it makes it harder for bikes to follow each other and execute overtaking moves.

Di Giannantonio, who is one of the newer riders on the grid having made his debut in 2022, accepts this criticism but still doesn’t want MotoGP to have rules that resemble previous-generation bikes.

«For the show, at the moment, it’s a bit more critical because with all the things that we have it’s becoming worse and worse to do some overtakes.

«But as a rider the [current] MotoGP bike is fantastic. I would never go back. Maybe we have to go back but I would never go back.»

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