The Italian driver and his team manager are turning to the courts to find a solution to their dispute.
For some time now, a dispute has shaken the Gresini team in Moto3. Indeed, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Fausto Gresini are in total disagreement regarding their contract for next year. In fact, the driver is united with the team for four years in Moto3 but he wants to move up to Moto2 next year. An agreement has been reached to create a new contract for Moto2. However, the Italian driver only wants to spend one year in the team, for 2019 alone, while Gresini wants to keep him until 2020 in order to be able to build a long-term project. Di Giannantonio had some time to sign the contract, but was unable to give a quick answer and Gresini eventually hired Sam Lowes.
Di Giannantonio therefore now wishes to leave the team in order to try his luck elsewhere in Moto2, but his contract still binds them next year in Moto3. Each party is trying to assert its rights, and the matter is now before the court. It will therefore be up to a judge to decide. Despite everything, the Italian pilot's lawyer hopes that an amicable agreement will be found in order to avoid long months of legal proceedings, as reported GP One : “We would have liked to reach an agreement, unfortunately we did not have the material time to do so. We had too little time. If Gresini, as he says, wanted to have Fabio for two years in order to help him develop in his career, we hope that now he will manage to find the best possible solution with us. Fabio Di Giannantonio always behaved very professionally in a matter that could have demotivated and distracted him. Last Sunday's podium clearly confirms his commitment to the team and the sponsors. »
For its part, Fausto Gresini said he was very disappointed: “The offer was made to him at Barcelona. He asked me for some time to think about it and I agreed orally, but he never gave me a written response. I did the right thing by making him an offer and giving him time. He didn't respond so I made another offer, and his place was no longer available. I don't know why he changed his mind saying a two-year contract didn't suit him and he only wanted one year. I refused, saying that if he did not sign this contract, the old one would remain valid and he would have to race another year in Moto3 with us since I was not prepared to only do one year with him in Moto2. From there I started getting calls from his lawyer and we ended up going to court. I am upset about this matter. I respect his point of view but he had to be clear and tell the truth from the start. »
Fabio Di Giannantonio in turn expressed his disappointment and showed his desire to quickly find a solution: “Fausto doesn’t really reach out to me because the beautiful plans we had have gone up in smoke. He blackmailed me a bit since if I didn't sign a somewhat empty contract I wouldn't change category. We are two professionals and therefore I expected a more professional agreement which did not happen. It's a shame because after that he told me that I absolutely had to ride another year in Moto3 with the team but I don't want to do it because I feel ready, both physically and in terms of my results, to ride in Moto2. It's a shame that things happened this way but we will get out of this situation. »
