Fabio Di Giannantonio’s Friday in Hungary was a rollercoaster of experimental setups and physical pain. While the Italian rider ultimately secured a surprising second-place finish, the path to get there was fraught with challenges, including setup changes that weren’t paying off and a lingering injury.
MotoGP is a sport where every hundredth of a second counts, and machine setup is as critical as a rider’s talent. This Friday, Fabio Di Giannantonio was reminded of that harsh reality. After spending a significant portion of his day testing new configurations on his Ducati, the VR46 Academy rider saw his efforts relegate him outside the top 10. It wasn’t until the final moments of the session, when he reverted to his usual settings, that he managed to post a time sufficient to climb to second place, just behind the seemingly untouchable Pedro Acosta.
Experimentation Goes Awry
Fabio Di Giannantonio’s day felt like a mad scientist’s lab session. The Italian cycled through numerous configurations and adjustments on his Desmosedici, desperately searching for improvement. “We tried many, many things on the bike to improve it,” he admitted afterward. “We tried to make progress, with many new things, new ideas. Unfortunately, they weren’t as good as we expected.” These experiments, far from yielding results, nearly cost him dearly, even making him fear an early exit from Q2.
Fabio Di Giannantonio had to fight for his Q2 spot.
Faced with this outcome, the team had to backtrack. “For now, we’ve gone back to my base settings,” Di Giannantonio confessed. This return to familiar ground immediately paid dividends. “When it’s like this, you don’t really focus on being fast, just on improving the bike,” he explained. “And when it’s like this, you also risk missing Q2, which is what was happening to me.” Fortunately, that didn’t occur, and the rider confirmed his intuition was correct: “A tough day, but good too because in the end, when we put our base settings back on, I was able to be super fast immediately and set a really good time. It was a good day after all.”
Persistent Pain
But Fabio Di Giannantonio’s troubles weren’t confined to the track. The rider is still dealing with pain in the little finger of his left hand, a result of an unfortunate collision with Álex Márquez’s front wheel during the Catalunya Grand Prix. Nearly three weeks after the incident, the finger remains sore and limits his movement. “I still have to ride with my finger straight,” he explained, describing “enormous pain” whenever he tries to close it or stresses the nerves and tendons. This physical constraint forces him to adapt his riding style, adding another layer of difficulty to an already complex day.
A Ducati Still Needing Refinement
Despite this unexpected return to second place, Fabio Di Giannantonio remains cautious about his prospects for the rest of the weekend. Uncertainties linger regarding his bike’s true race pace and his ability to maintain it over a full stint. “I don’t know because I haven’t seen the lap times yet,” he admitted. He pointed to front-end sensations, particularly under braking and exiting corners, where he feels he’s losing ground to his competitors. “I think I’m carrying a bit more speed than the others on corner exit. On such a short track, you feel that difference much more.”
Fine-tuning the Ducati remains a major challenge for Di Giannantonio.
The MotoGP field promises to be competitive once again, with strong Aprilia performances, a formidable Marc Márquez despite his physical limitations, and especially a Pedro Acosta who appears to be in a class of his own. “He was incredible,” Di Giannantonio acknowledged about the young Spanish prodigy. “I think his race pace and his fast lap are incredible.” He knows the competition will be fierce, and many riders will be contenders for victory. “He’s one of the riders to beat, but the Aprilia riders too. All four riders are very strong; you can never count them out of a win. Marc too. I think many, many names were really fast and really strong.”
Key Takeaways
- Fabio Di Giannantonio finished practice in second place despite unsuccessful experimentation.
- The Italian rider found speed again by returning to his base settings.
- A left little finger injury continues to hinder him.
- Questions remain about his Ducati’s race setup.
- Competition looks fierce, with several riders capable of fighting for the win.
[Il y a des progrès]
[le doigt en l’air]
[Vendredi]
[fait un mouvement]
[vendredi]
