Di Giannantonio in World Championship battle mode after sprint podium: “Every point counts!”

The World Championship battle is heating up. Just a few race weekends ago, it seemed as though Marco Bezzecchi was the only contender for this year’s MotoGP World Championship title. Now, Bezzecchi is on the verge of losing second place to the VR46 Team’s frontrunner. Thanks to consistent points hauls, Fabio Di Giannantonio is right in the thick of the title race, despite having only one win to his name so far this season

In the sprint race at the Sachsenring, the Roman rider – aided by Jorge Martin’s poor performance – managed to reduce the gap to the championship leader to 13 points ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix; he is now just two points away from second place. Yet the Italian had viewed the prospects on Saturday as difficult, despite starting from third on the grid. At the start, ‘Diggia’ initially lost his position to Trackhouse ace Ai Ogura, but managed to reclaim his podium spot before the end of the first lap.

A key factor in the five-time GP winner’s third-place finish: “I had to pull off the overtaking manoeuvre on Ai right at the start of the race, because I knew he might be faster than me.” The 27-year-old himself had, in theory, an advantage over the rider in front of him, Alex Márquez, but was unable to capitalise on it: “I was slightly faster than Alex. But at the Sachsenring, it’s very difficult to both take advantage of a clear run and find the right opportunity to overtake. The risk was too high for me in the final laps.” Notably, Di Giannantonio was actually the fastest rider in the sprint. With a time of 1:20.119, the fastest lap of the race went to number 49.

It wasn’t enough to close the gap on the Aprilia aces any further, because: “A podium finish was the aim, to make up more points. This third place is perfect; I’m more than satisfied.” A third place that underlines the two-time MotoGP winner’s ambitions this season: “Every point counts!”

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28.08.2026 - 08:55

Fabio Di Giannantonio holds a ten-point lead over Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura, who is fourth in the World Championship, ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix. However, Marc Marquez is also just 19 points behind.