DI GIANNANTONIO SAYS HE MUST “NAIL IT” TO MATCH MARC MARQUEZ’S PERFECT WEEKENDS

Fabio di Giannantonio says he knows exactly what is missing from his 2026 MotoGP campaign, even as his results have kept him firmly in the title conversation. The VR46 rider is currently fourth in the standings, sitting 48 points behind the top, and is the only rider in the championship’s top six to have scored points in every one of the first 13 rounds.

Di Giannantonio’s season has already delivered eight podiums, including a grand prix victory in Catalunya. However, he admits that despite that consistency, he has not yet been able to produce what he considers a “perfect” weekend—something he believes is crucial if the gap to the front is going to be closed.

Speaking at Misano, di Giannantonio described his current feeling as incomplete. “I still feel incomplete, maybe I will never feel that complete. But I still have to improve,” he said. He then explained that while his weekends have been steady, they have not been flawless across qualifying, Sprint, and race execution. “If you see my weekends, I've been consistent, but I've never been like a perfect qualifying, perfect Sprint and perfect race without mistakes. So I need to nail it. Marc is super able to do this. He's amazing at this. When he has to make it, he makes it. It's incredible. It's a thing that I have to learn, and I have to improve.”

The comparison to Marc Marquez comes at a time when the reigning champion has been extracting maximum value from his strongest weekends. Di Giannantonio noted that Marquez has maximised his best form with three Sprint and grand prix doubles so far this season, underlining the difference between being consistently near the front and delivering the full package when it matters.

The wider context also adds pressure. In Germany, di Giannantonio lost his status as Ducati’s leading rider, with Marquez moving ahead in the standings and splitting the factory Aprilia duo of Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi at the top. With the title fight tightening, di Giannantonio’s approach has increasingly focused on knowing when to push and when to protect points.

He said that “sometimes it's not easy, but sometimes you have to be clever,” pointing to the reality of a long 44-race season. “With 44 races, you must be clever if you want to be up there,” he explained. Di Giannantonio also stressed that risk management becomes even more important after the season’s halfway point, when “every point counts.” “You can try to be the superhero, but sometimes it's too risky. Especially when you are a little over the half part of the season, that now really every point counts, you cannot risk that much. It's good to risk for a victory or for the final step of the podium maybe, but not for seventh to sixth.”

That points-first mindset has helped keep him on course for what he described as his best MotoGP campaign yet. While he is not claiming perfection, his record of scoring in all 13 rounds places him alongside only a small group of riders who have managed the same feat. Raul Fernandez and Luca Marini are the only other riders to have scored points in every round so far.

Di Giannantonio’s comments also reflect a broader understanding of what separates the very top performers: the ability to turn strong weekends into complete results. He acknowledged that while it is possible to take bigger chances, the season’s stage demands smarter decisions—especially when the goal is to remain in the fight rather than gamble away hard-earned momentum.