MotoGP Assen Day 2, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati Q6/S3) is on fire: "You have to take risks to keep up with these Aprilias"

Once again, Fabio Di Giannantonio surprised everyone at Assen. It was clear from qualifying: the Aprilia RS-GP bikes are significantly superior on this fast track, and they occupy the top four positions on the grid. At Ducati, everyone was expecting Pecco Bagnaia, a three-time winner here in MotoGP, or perhaps Marc Marquez. But in the end, it's "Diggia," the outsider this season., who has inserted himself into the leading group. Di Giannantonio separates the two Trackhouse riders ahead of him from the two official Aprilia riders behind him and is very pleased with this achievement.

He's been incredibly consistent this season, which has allowed him to occupy third place in the world championship. And, as crazy as it may seem, he gained even more points on the leader this Saturday. « I attacked all weekend, I gave it my all, because here in Assen, we cannot afford to let up. I pushed hard to understand what it was like to really ride at the limit, and it helped me a lot, especially for the sprint. The truth is, the Aprilias are really fast, and to keep up with them today, I took a lot of risks. But sometimes you have to take risks. I think we did a good job. We didn't modify the motorcycle much. We use our settings to avoid errors, and it's a system that works really well. he declared to the microphones of Sky Sports.

 

 

The Italian himself was able to witness the superiority of the RS-GP at Assen. « During the race, I really pushed hard.I tried to stay on the edge and play with it, because they are naturally very fast: they accelerate incredibly quickly and change direction very rapidly. I just tried to slide the tires as much as possible, telling myself there were only 13 laps and I had to go all the way." he added.

 

 

This progress of certain elements (Ogura in qualifying, Martin overall) would almost worry him, if it weren't for the Ducati package in which he still believes so much. « At the beginning of the year, we were very strong in sprints, while they were stronger in long distances.Now, damn it, we're starting to fall behind in the sprint too, so honestly, I'm a bit worried for us. But there's not much we can do about it: we have another bike, we need to focus on ourselves. The package, as we saw today, is good and we need to exploit its full potential. The tires are difficult to manage when you're pushing them to the limit, but I'm really doing my best. I think we still have a chance." he concluded.

Do you think Fabio Di Giannantonio can cause an upset tomorrow at the Grand Prix? Tell us in the comments!

MotoGP Sprint Result at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix:

 

 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport