Let's talk MotoGP: Show some respect to Fabio Di Giannantonio!

He's one of my current heroes. Unlucky to the core, Fabio Di Giannantonio deserves a lot of respect for the exploits he's achieved while injured, and has been doing so since midway through the 2024 MotoGP season. The Italian distinguished himself again with a heroic top-5 finish in Argentina; a result achieved in the dying moments that will soon be forgotten, but which fully deserves an article.

 

Discreet, but so strong

 

The first word that comes to mind when I talk about the Di Giannantonio case is " discretion "It's true that we've rarely heard from him since his debut in 2022. He received a major boost in the spotlight at the end of the 2023 season when his MotoGP career was in jeopardy, but since then, you have to assiduously follow the Grands Prix to appreciate his strength of character. This is not a pilot bankable, he's not someone who struts around on social media, stretches his life out and plays the nice guy. And that's what makes me love him all the more.

 

 

This is not to say that he lacks ambition or that he does nothing with the few years he has been given at the highest level. "Diggia" has teeth that scratch the asphalt. A little flashback to understand the guy: in 2024, when he had just learned his Desmosedici GP23, he was injured in Austria, quite unluckily. Not all drivers affect me in the same way, but it is obvious that a visit to the hospital is always regrettable; however, I find it even more unfair to those who don't constantly play within the limits.Di Giannantonio rarely falls, yet is often injured. Despite this major shoulder discomfort, he continued to progress, even achieving a magnificent top-four finish in Thailand last year, in the rain.

He made the difficult decision to end his current season to prepare for the 2025 season., and was injured again in Sepang, during testing, after a wheelie. It would be easy to mock, but I don't think you can underestimate the passion of a man who simply wanted to have fun. As his employer, Uccio Salucci, rightly said, "pilots are born doing wheelies". It saddens me that the deities of the MotoGP punished him just a few hours before a season he had been preparing for months.

Broken collarbone or not, he has to go, he has no choice. The Thailand Grand Prix was very difficult; the heat harassed his broken collarbone, an ache that takes forever to dissipate as this bone is so heavily used in MotoGP. The fact that he has the only unofficial GP25 doesn't change anything, after all. You can't blame him.

 

 

Determination overcomes pain

 

Then came the Argentine Grand Prix, two weeks later, on a track that is known to be demanding. Despite the intense pain, he didn't stop believing in it, and that's the beauty of it. On Friday, he finished Practice second, which is a small feat: believe it or not, This is the first time this season that a driver has separated the two Marquez brothers at the top of the timesheet in the most important sessions. (Practice, Qualifying, Sprint and Grand Prix). He finished Q2 in sixth place, and the Sprint in fifth place. Relieved, but tortured by the pain, incessant, impossible to forget even when concentrating on his driving.

On Saturday evening, he made a statement I won't soon forget. With a race twice as long awaiting him the next day, with, no doubt, a more fit Johann Zarco, "Diggia" displayed an ambition of tempered steel: "I believe I can be the underdog. Leaders should be worried."Imagine the courage it takes to say something like that with a broken collarbone, in front of those Marquez brothers and that Bagnaia. It's as if he wants to thumb his nose at his pain. I find it magnificent; poetic, almost..

 

 

And the worst, The outcome of the Grand Prix doesn't even make it ridiculous! Starting sixth, we saw him for a moment in battle with Binder and Ogura. Then, he closed in on Johann Zarco, tirelessly. The Frenchman may be on a Honda, but he remains a serious contender. "Diggia" didn't give up, drawing on his last resources to come back. He only had half a lap left to overtake him, and, despite the difference in equipment, the context presented in the first half of this article shows you that he was far from being in a strong position. Moreover, his pain distracted him, to the point that he sometimes forgot to deactivate the ride height device.

Everyone expected an overtake at Turn 13, a kind of open right-hand hairpin, which is generally chosen for final attempts. But the Italian had studied his opponent. He knew Zarco was experiencing vibrations in No. 11, a long, fast left that is very difficult to negotiate with two people. That's where he stole the Honda boy, who couldn't do anything at all. Magnificent, great art.

Do you know what he said after the arrival? "I cannot be satisfied, because I wanted to finish in the top three »Injured and after such a performance, he is not happy to finish behind the untouchable Marquez brothers, his teammate, and a triple World Champion by the name of Pecco Bagnaia. How can you not love it?

 

Conclusion

 

I'm sorry to be so biased, but I wanted to share with you my love for this pilotHe is a true outsider, who can only be appreciated at his true worth if you follow and know this discipline. I sincerely hope that he can taste success again, because he deserves it.

What did you think of this performance in Argentina? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport