DI GIANNANTONIO AND QUARTARARO SEE PROS AND CONS IN MOTOGP’S 2027 FORMAT

Fabio Di Giannantonio is hoping to put a difficult Japanese Grand Prix behind him as MotoGP heads to Indonesia. The VR46 Ducati rider scored no points at Motegi after crashing in the sprint and finishing 18th in Sunday’s race. He and teammate Franco Morbidelli will also stand out at Mandalika, where the pair are set to race in special colours.

Much of Di Giannantonio’s Thursday media session focused on MotoGP’s revised weekend format, which will begin in 2027. The plan includes sprint qualifying on Friday and less overall track time for riders. He welcomed the change, saying it “fits perfectly” for riders and teams and that having less time on track was a positive. However, he acknowledged that it could disadvantage riders who need more laps to build confidence or find a good feeling with their bikes.

Fabio Quartararo also discussed the changes, having finished ninth and 12th at Motegi. He said a fuel-consumption problem prevented him from riding at full speed in Sunday’s race. Quartararo likes the prospect of an additional qualifying session, saying he enjoys qualifying, but argued that riders need more time on track to adapt to the new motorcycles and tyres. The 2027 schedule gives riders a 30-minute FP2 on Friday before sprint qualifying. Quartararo said that would leave too little time to set up the bike and understand the new Pirelli tyres, particularly as riders will not yet know which compound will suit the race. He suggested extending FP2 to an hour, or adding around 30 minutes overall. “If we want to copy Formula 1, we have to remember how many minutes of track time they have,” he said, noting that MotoGP riders currently spend much more time on track. He added that the format itself was not a problem for him, but more practice time would help.

Pecco Bagnaia had noted that only four riders attended the Safety Commission meeting in Japan where the format was discussed, highlighting the difficulty of reaching a common position among competitors. Di Giannantonio said he had stopped attending the meetings after concluding that it was hard to make progress on the issues raised. He stressed that his decision was not due to hostility between riders: “It’s not because we hate each other,” he said with a smile.

He recognised that MotoGP’s decision-makers must balance the needs of riders with those of teams, manufacturers, fans and host venues, and said he was confident they wanted to find the best possible solution. A riders’ association, he suggested, could give competitors a stronger collective voice. The riders had come close to organising themselves, but, in his view, several had held back the effort. After seeing that, he chose to focus more on his physical preparation and spend more time in his garage.

Di Giannantonio also gave an update on the injuries he sustained in the Motegi sprint. Alex Marquez collided with him on the opening lap, sending him into the gravel after a heavy impact to his ribs and hip. He had struggled to catch his breath at the time. By Thursday, he said, he was feeling much better and able to work normally. His ribs still hurt when he took a deep breath, but he added: “I’m fine.”