DI GIANNANTONIO TARGETS ARAGON OPPORTUNITIES AFTER FITNESS AND BIKE WORK

Fabio Di Giannantonio used the nearly three-week break between the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the next round in Aragon to keep building toward the restart. The VR46 rider focused on fitness work and also trained on the bike, completing a session at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on a Ducati Panigale V4 S.

Di Giannantonio arrives in Spain fifth in the MotoGP standings. He has 199 points, placing him 41 behind championship leader Jorge Martin (Aprilia). Just ahead of him is Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo), who holds only a one-point advantage.

Looking ahead to MotorLand Aragon, Di Giannantonio stressed how different the circuit is compared with Silverstone. “In the two free weeks I worked on my fitness, and I also did a lot of training on the motorcycle to keep my performance level,” he said. “We’re ready for this new race weekend. Aragon is a completely different track than Silverstone, because it has a slower section. And the grip is also very different.”

He also pointed to a key moment from last year’s Aragon test. “Last year, during the race weekend we had a bit of a struggle there, but on test day we managed to find something that helped us turn our season in a positive direction,” the 27-year-old explained. “So this year we have additional data that can help us be even more competitive.”

From a wider championship perspective, Di Giannantonio believes the field is so close that the bike can play a decisive role. With the top five separated by just 41 points heading into Aragon—Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Ai Ogura, Marc Marquez and Di Giannantonio—he said he has noticed how Aprilia can look especially strong when the “griplevel” is not as high. “We have seen that the Aprilia have amazing grip when the griplevel isn’t so high,” he said. “Aragon has the highest grip of all the tracks on the calendar, so I think it will be easier for us here.”

At the same time, he cautioned against focusing only on what the track might suggest on paper. “But I don’t think we should focus on what the paper format says,” he added. “We should focus on what we’ve been missing in the past races. If we can improve in those areas, then it leads to a much stronger package of rider and motorcycle. Now is the moment in the championship to put pressure on and try things on the bike that we haven’t tried so far—so we can get something that allows us to fight at the front and get closer to winning.”

In 2024, Di Giannantonio finished sixth and ninth at MotorLand Aragon. With the combination of that earlier test progress and the extra information now available, he believes VR46 can push forward in both the sprint and the Grand Prix.

Di Giannantonio also commented on Luca Marini’s continued presence in the MotoGP paddock, saying he had hoped Marini would stay because “he is partly responsible for me still being in MotoGP.” He added that Marini helped him through difficult times and that their friendship remains. “That he signed with KTM will help the factory improve the bike,” Di Giannantonio said, also praising Marini’s speed and sensitivity on the machine, noting that Marini’s feedback is “more precise” than his own and that he can learn from it.