Di Giannantonio: The World Championship fourth-placed rider returns to the track that caused him trauma

VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio got off to a dazzling start to the sensational 2026 MotoGP season. In the first third of the campaign, ‘Diggia’ held his ground so tenaciously in the top five that the number 49 rider was long the leading force in the Ducati camp.

But the bright spotlight has dimmed somewhat. Since the Assen GP, the Roman has only managed to finish in the top five on one Sunday. On top of that, he suffered crashes at the Sachsenring and at Motorland Aragon. Things went better again in his last outing in front of a home crowd – but even Fabio Di Giannantonio was unable to secure a podium finish for MotoGP legend and team boss Valentino Rossi. Still, the GP26 rider delivered a solid performance, finishing 4th in the Sprint and 7th over the full distance.

Di Giannantonio’s position in the overall standings is particularly noteworthy. Thanks to the disastrous retirement of Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi, the VR46 rider has moved closer to third place in the World Championship. He is now 17 points away from moving up the rankings ahead of the upcoming races. At the same time, KTM’s star rider Pedro Acosta has closed the gap. After securing two podium finishes in a row on Sunday, the Spaniard moved up two places in the World Championship standings.

VR46-Frontmann Fabio Di Giannantonio

Foto: Gold and Goose

If the RC16 rider – with whom Di Giannantonio is set to swap bikes in 2027 – scores 14 more points in Styria, then VR46 will slip further down the standings. This development is also noteworthy because the Marquez brothers have recently been able to extract more speed from the Ducati again.

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Painful: memories of 2024

The race at the Red Bull Ring holds a special, albeit negative, significance for Fabio Di Giannantonio. It was in Styria that the VR46 rider’s development push came to a painful end. In qualifying, the Italian shattered his shoulder after a highsider whilst leaning into Turn 8. This is the last European round for the time being – following five overseas events (including the iffy Qatar round) – with the circus not returning until November for Portimão and the season finale in Valencia – yet the fourth-placed rider in the World Championship is approaching the task with a sense of momentum.

Di Giannantonio on arrival in Spielberg: “I’m looking forward to getting back on track straight away, because we got everything right at Misano last weekend, even if some things could have gone better. We’re showing excellent pace on every track, and that gives us confidence, even though we’re now heading to a circuit where I’ve struggled in the past.”

Whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio will be competing in the Austrian Grand Prix from 2027 as his new employer KTM’s home Grand Prix, his VR46 team-mate Franco Morbidelli is bidding farewell to the high-speed circuit. Next year, Morbidelli will replace MotoGP newcomer Nicolo Bulega at Ducati in the World Superbike Championship.