DI GIANNANTONIO’S QATAR RACE DERAILED BY SEVERE VIBRATIONS

Fabio di Giannantonio’s Qatar weekend swung from strong promise to a race-day struggle, as severe vibrations left him unable to ride his VR46 Ducati as he had in practice.

The Italian had qualified on the front row, finished second in the Sprint and topped the warm-up timesheets. He said the bike had felt better than at any point in the previous two years. “I had an amazing bike, and I could do anything I wanted; we were fast,” he said, adding that the team had been ready to deliver a strong grand prix.

Instead, the problem emerged after only a few laps. Di Giannantonio said the vibrations became so pronounced that leaning the bike was “impossible”. He described the issue as “out of our control” and suggested it could have been tyre-related, though no cause was confirmed. The disruption also meant he was among the slowest Ducati riders for parts of the race.

He eventually finished eighth, unable to reproduce the form that had made him a contender for a repeat of his 2023 Lusail victory. “We were fast in the Sprint, but then in the main moment of the weekend we were unable to show our potential again,” he said. “But these things happen and it’s out of our control, so let’s move on.”

The result leaves di Giannantonio sixth in the championship, the highest-placed Ducati rider behind points leader Marc Marquez. He remains mathematically within reach of fourth-placed Pedro Acosta with two rounds left. Di Giannantonio is due to take over Acosta’s factory KTM seat in 2027.

VR46 team-mate Franco Morbidelli, riding a year-old GP25, crossed the line in 11th. Di Giannantonio’s weekend also came amid recent concerns about top speed, but he distinguished those earlier difficulties from the Qatar race problem, which he said was beyond the team’s control.