Only 38 rounds (with a best time of 2.02'596s) were achieved by Fabio Di Giannantonio during the three-day Sepang test for rookies and test drivers. The Italian, stopped by gastroenteritis at the end of the first day, was no longer able to take to the track and is currently recovering in view of the next two days of testing at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6.
PHYSICAL CONDITION.
The pilot underwent all the necessary protocols/checks (antigenic test and molecular test, both negative), and here is the diagnosis of the Dr Michele Zasa, head of the mobile clinic: “ Fabio suffers from a simple gastroenteritis which began to manifest itself at the end of the first day of testing. This is completely normal and common when we travel in Southeast Asia, but it caused severe dehydration that currently prevents him from flying safely. As a precaution, he has been on bed rest for the past two days and is expected to be 100% recovered for the next two days. He is already on the road to recovery, but the situation will need to be monitored in the coming hours. »
WASTED TIME.
Needless to say, this test was very important, especially for a beginner. Donatello Giovanotti, the track engineer for number 49, had to reschedule virtually all of the work. “ The idea of these three days was to understand the bike, but especially the tires. After a rather positive first day, despite the few laps where only the medium rubber was used, the program included a test with the other rubber and a mini race simulation to understand the behavior of the bike and all the electronic strategies. It's difficult to make up for that time in the two days we have left here at Sepang: we'll try to pick up where we left off after the first day, so we'll test the other compound and put ourselves in a race situation, but obviously we can't focus on electronics and settings. »
Fabio Di Giannantonio: “ Honestly, I'm very disappointed. I had prepared as best I could to start these three days on the right foot, as in general for all pre-season tests. Unfortunately, we had to stay in bed due to a “mistake”. Yesterday I was completely knocked out, but today I'm already a little better. I want to hope that with two more days of rest, I can finally be in shape to be back on track on Saturday. »
