Ducati ace Fabio Di Giannantonio on the hunt for MotoGP leader Bezzecchi

It has become increasingly clear over the last few races. Fabio Di Giannantonio is Ducati’s real spearhead. In the sprint race at Assen, the VR46 rider once again put in a strong performance, finishing third behind the Trackhouse Aprilia aces Fernandez and Ogura to close the gap on World Championship leaders Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin. This was despite the fact that, in the run-up to the Dutch TT, he was by no means particularly optimistic about the head-to-head battle between the Italian manufacturer giants. “The Aprilias are currently handling rear tyre wear best. This is also thanks to their fantastic front-end handling,” Diggia analysed after the last few races.

He was self-critical about this weakness and intended to improve it by working on his start phases. “I often need a few laps to find my rhythm, and by then the gap to the front is often already quite big. Today, however, I got off to a brilliant start and was able to apply pressure straight away,” said Di Giannantonio, visibly pleased with his sprint podium finish.

His rivals made life difficult for themselves and for one another at Assen. His brand-mates on the factory team were taking positions and seconds off each other. The Ducati factory team showed some sensitivity: Marc Marquez once again surprised everyone with an uncharacteristically gracious restraint, whilst Pecco Bagnaia took wide lines around his rivals during some overtaking manoeuvres, which resulted in a time penalty in the end.

“Young Romans dance differently from the rest,” sang Austrian icon Falco in one of his hits. Fabio Di Giannantonio impressively brings this statement about his hometown to life. Currently third in the World Championship, he is just 22 points behind Bezzecchi. “To be honest, during the sprint I thought I might actually win this race. But then my tyres wore out more quickly than I’d expected.”

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MotoGP World Championship

28.08.2026 - 08:55

Once again the top Ducati rider, ‘Diggia’ chipped away at the lead held by the Aprilia factory riders Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi. He is still 13 points behind second-placed Martin.