FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO NAMES THE MOST COMPLETE DUCATI BEFORE HIS 2027 KTM MOVE

Fabio Di Giannantonio says he still thinks about one particularly “difficult” part of his upcoming VR46 Racing exit every day, even as he prepares to leave the Valentino Rossi-backed satellite team for KTM’s factory squad in 2027.

The two-time MotoGP race winner will switch from Ducati machinery to KTM next season, stepping into a new chapter as the sport moves into a fresh technical era. For Di Giannantonio, it will also be a first in his career: he has spent his entire MotoGP time so far riding for teams supported by Italian manufacturers, with three of those years at VR46 Racing. He has previously described the presence of Rossi in the team’s garages on race weekends as a “massive boost,” highlighting how much the human side of the project has helped him settle into life at Tavullia.

In an interview with Moto.it, Di Giannantonio looked back on what he has learned during his time at VR46. Asked what the team has given him, he said, “The team is undoubtedly the best environment I’ve ever been in.” He added that he does not want to put down his earlier teams, noting that he has had “a wonderful career with some fantastic teams” and that he maintains personal relationships with many professionals from the past. However, he insisted that VR46, “as a whole,” has provided him with everything.

Di Giannantonio also explained that he has felt central to the project since joining, describing how the rider alongside him changed over time—from Marco Bezzecchi to Franco Morbidelli—while the team’s internal bond remained strong. “I haven’t found the kind of personal relationships that exist in this team anywhere else,” he said. He described “a very personal bond” forming with all team members, something he said had “never happened” to him before, and credited that connection with helping him grow beyond the track. “They’ve supported me both personally and in my sporting life; I’ve become a better athlete, a better professional, and consequently a better rider too,” he added, concluding that “the best version of Fabio today is wearing these colours.”

That close relationship was also reflected in a moment after Di Giannantonio’s win at this year’s Catalan Grand Prix. The victory was his first in VR46’s distinctive fluorescent yellow, and Rossi later asked him whether he was sure about leaving. Di Giannantonio said the question stayed with him: “On a purely personal level, I think about it every day because, as I said before, finding a team like that again, which is what I’d wish for myself, is really difficult.”

He clarified that by the time Rossi raised the point, the decision was already made. “Unfortunately, by the time Vale said that to me, it was purely a joke because, sadly, my future had already been decided.”

Di Giannantonio also used the same Moto.it conversation to reflect on his Ducati experience, ranking the different prototypes he has ridden. He said the GP26 is “definitely the most complete bike I’ve ridden – the 26 – so it’s number one.” He explained that he “unfortunately” never rode the famous GP24, but that he had “a lot of fun” on the GP23, placing it “on a par with my 22.” He then tied the GP23 and GP22 for second, before turning to last year’s machine: “Then I have to mention last year’s bike, which really annoyed me – it was the first year I struggled with it all season long.”

He added context to that ranking by describing how the GP25 was the lowest point for him, while the GP26 has been the best. He said the GP25 was the first year he “struggled with it all season long,” and he noted that even taking onboard upgrades did not solve his problems. Despite that, he still achieved his best championship finish last year with a P6.

Despite the move to KTM, Di Giannantonio emphasized his gratitude toward the entire VR46 group, singling out Rossi and key figures including Uccio Salucci and Pablo Nieto. He said the appreciation “started at the top and then spread throughout the whole team” for everything they have done for him.