Let's talk MotoGP: Fabio Di Giannantonio won't be a contender until he solves this problem

Another disappointing weekend for Fabio Di Giannantonio in Germany. While he did manage to secure third place in the Sprint after qualifying in the same position—a commendable achievement, especially against such strong competition from the Trackhouse drivers—on Sunday he missed a golden opportunity to truly challenge for the title. Once again, the same problem stems from the same issue.

 

The recurring problem of Di Giannantonio

 

As you know, I love this driver. I love his precise and clean overtaking maneuvers, I love his ambitious and assertive characterHowever, I must admit that I am particularly disappointed to see him struggle, again and again, in the first few meters.

 

 

Until he resolves this issue, he cannot be considered for the world title. MotoGPnor even enter the battle for the top 3. In each race, he loses at least one position right from the start, and this manifests itself in several different ways. Either he struggles to take off from the grid – what happened on Sunday in Germany –, either it struggles to assert itself in the first few turnsby firmly maintaining a trajectory even if it means making contact – which is what happened on Saturday. Sometimes it's both.

SuddenlyHe is constantly forced to perform feats of daring, and once he falls too far behind, he exposes himself to even greater difficulties.This is why he's always in a position to attack, why he's always the hunter – and why his overtaking maneuvers are so admirable. It's also what fuels his speed at the end of the race, because he's always hesitant in the early laps, then gains confidence to reach his full potential later on. In my opinion, this is a different profile from Ai Ogura.who, in turn, actually saves on his tires with a unique philosophy.

So, inevitably, sometimes it goes unnoticed, like in Assen. As a reminder, Diggia was close to tenth position at the end of the first round in the Netherlands, and only managed to climb back up to fourth place. But at the Sachsenring, for example, on a track that is rather difficult for him, it's disqualifying..

 

The example of the Sachsenring

 

Overtaking is very difficult on the German hills. With such heavily loaded motorcycles, overtaking is very risky; in fact, on Saturday, in the top 5, I only counted two maneuvers: "Diggia" on Raul Fernandez at the start of the race to reclaim what was rightfully his, and Ai Ogura on the same Fernandez. The top 3 finished in that order, and the top 5 consisted of the same drivers as at the end of Q2Add to that the new, more open grid configuration, which makes overtaking at the very first corner more complex.

Di Giannantonio, by giving the advantage to the Trackhouse drivers at the start, put himself in a difficult position, as he would have to take risks to regain his initial position. And then, According to Pedro Acosta, keeping up is just as complicated as overtaking., particularly due to the turbulence. On Sunday, this situation proved fatal to "Diggia's" hopes, as, stuck behind the Aprilia satellites, he crashed, without understanding why. That's how a bad start can influence an entire weekend.

 

 

I'm willing to bet that if he had kept third place at the start, he could have followed Alex Marquez more easily; We saw on Saturday that he had more rhythm than Ogura and Fernandez.

Conclusion: constantly having to attack and come back leaves him no respite; he can never manage his challenges, even though he has shown on rare occasions that he knows how to do so. Diggia is constantly under pressure, having to take a risk that he can never delegate to another pilot behind him.

 

A major difference

 

What I just explained is, basically, the difference between a outsider and contend, or, in French, a driver who can achieve multiple feats in a year without asking himself any questions (Crutchlow 2013, Bastianini 2022, Bezzecchi 2023, Binder 2023…) and a contender (Alex Marquez 2025, Jorge Martin 2024…). Generally, an outsider can fall, because he knows he can win in return. The problem with Di Giannantonio is that he has the consistency of a contender., but without the ability to shine frequently, largely due to his departures.

That is why I assert today that he will not be able to compete with the likes of Marquez and Martin, who, unlike him, manage to make their task easierSo, more than you perhaps, I hope he'll rectify this in the second half of the season, because the way things have gone so far this season means he's fifth overall, certainly, but only 24 points behind the leader. I think it's unfortunately more serious than that, and I doubt he'll manage it in such a short time.

Do you share this analysis of Fabio Di Giannantonio and his problem? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport