It was a Fabio Di Giannantonio with mixed feelings who closed his 2022 MotoGP season. His rookie season was decent, marked by some highlights including this pole position in his Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. But there were also internal problems at Gresini which he tried to politely explain in a message on his social network which was rather interpreted in an alarmist way about his motivation. This put him on edge and he responded on the Valencia track during the first test of the 2023 off-season, marked certainly by the sixth fastest time, but also, and above all, by the arrival of a new experienced chief mechanic . And that was precisely the big subject…
Fabio DiGiannantonio closed the day test in Valencia with the sixth best time. But the main thing was that the Roman pilot began to work with Frankie Carchedi, its new technical chief. So for number 49 it was an important day in many ways. He completed many laps, especially on worn tires, with the aim of immediately finding a high-performance base setting for next season, with a particular eye on electronics and engine braking.
« It was probably the best day since I raced MotoGP » rejoiced “Diggia”. “ The new bike is fantastic and in all the areas where I struggled I immediately felt better. Now we take a break with great enthusiasm. We will try to keep our feet on the ground and work to be ready for Sepang. With Carchedi it was immediately a great feeling and the results already seem to be coming ».
Fabio DiGiannantonio distinguished himself during his first season in MotoGP with pole position at Mugello and a top 10 at Sachsenring. During the Asian tour, he made those around him and the paddock think after a long message on social networks where he wrote that the bike was becoming less and less fun for him, suggesting a new chapter.
Fabio Di Giannantonio: “this post was one of those moments where you can only half talk"
An initiative that he bitterly regrets today, because he then had to shed light on comments that had been completely misunderstood. The pilot of 24 years said thus: “ many interpreted the Instagram post as being a downer. But this is not true ". It then becomes clearer: “ This year we have often made many mistakes which have destroyed many Grands Prix. If it happens once, twice, three times, four times, then five times, you arrive at the twentieth race and it annoys you a little. So social media is a bit of a tool to express yourself and keep people informed of what's going on, but you can't talk about everything. ».
Then he adds, shedding light on the customs of the paddock: “ Sometimes we would like to say something, but we can't. So if we say something, we only say it half way and this post was one of those moments where you can only half talk ". For several months he kept everything inside, so this post was like a release valve, before the pressure cooker exploded.
Clearly something went wrong within his team, while his teammate Aeneas BastianinFor his part, he won four races. During his first year in the premier category, he worked with his team inherited from Moto2, therefore with little experience in MotoGP. “ We lacked experience and that made us make a lot of mistakes… JI'm a little annoyed by certain things…like a snowball that gets bigger and bigger and by the last race of the season I was pretty fed up " recognize Fabio DiGiannantonio. The arrival of Frankie Carchedi however, makes him smile again: “ he is a very experienced person, he can make me better as a person and as a driver » he concluded on Motoracing. It will be recalled that Carchedi was still the chief engineer of Joan mir at Suzuki, with whom he therefore shares the 2020 MotoGP world title.
Valencia test: times
Credit classification motogp.com
