DI GIANNANTONIO LEFT FRUSTRATED AFTER GRIP PROBLEMS LIMIT HIM TO EIGHTH

Fabio Di Giannantonio’s Malaysian Grand Prix ended in stark contrast to the promise of his weekend. After qualifying sixth and finishing fifth in the sprint, the VR46 Ducati rider could manage only eighth in the 20-lap race, crossing the line nearly 18 seconds behind Marc Marquez. Team-mate Franco Morbidelli, riding a year-old Ducati, finished two places further back.

Di Giannantonio said the race was compromised from the opening lap by a lack of front-end grip, compounded by strong vibrations. “I rode a motorcycle today, but I didn’t race,” he said. The problem was not as severe as the tyre blistering he experienced in Indonesia, he explained, but he still had no usable grip or confidence to push. “It was very disappointing to lose all the work of the weekend like that.”

The Italian described a long, frustrating afternoon: “I spent the whole race just waiting for the last lap.” He also said the difficulties reflected a wider pattern in the second half of the season. “From one Grand Prix to the next, there’s always something stopping us from using our real potential.”

That is a sharp change from the early part of the campaign, when Di Giannantonio was among Ducati’s leading riders and beat Marc Marquez in Brazil. He remains sixth in the standings, but the report noted that consistency is now crucial if he is to avoid slipping further down the order. The rider is set to become a KTM factory racer in the future.

Top speed was another concern at Sepang. Di Giannantonio’s GP26 was reportedly 7–10 km/h slower at the top end than rivals on average. No explanation for the shortfall was given, leaving an unusual question mark over Ducati’s satellite operation.