Dutch Sunday has a sweet taste for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who, despite a 5th place, has once again demonstrated that, together with Marquez, he is able to interpret and manage your GP23. The Roman rider elbows his way to the top of the rankings, fighting ‘on equal terms’ with Marc Marquez who suddenly unexpectedly gives way to him. In fact, the Assen TT was a race in which the lower temperatures of yesterday put the pressure on the front a lot in crisis, a factor that the Roman driver was able to manage by opting for caution. His choice, however, cost him the chance to detach himself from the group chasing the elusive Bagnaia and Martin, but which perhaps would have earned him the third step of the podium.
A positive performance overall, therefore, demonstrating that the VR46 rider knows how to assert himself in the frayand that considering the latest movements in the drivers market, can represent a valid contribution to the future of Ducati. It is in fact no mystery that Yamaha has set its sights on the Roman rider, after recently acquiring the Pramac team, and is looking for important riders for the two new seats available.
“I’m really happy – Fabio Di Giannantonio begins – doing races like this is priceless. We worked so hard and today we fought for the podium and to be the best GP23. It was a good fight, it’s always better to win it’s clear, it’s a shame when at a certain point I had to reduce the speed because the temperature of the front had dropped and I was starting to experience closing problems. When something like this happens in Assen you have to be careful and so they overtook me. In any case it was a good fight, we are giving the best we can with this bike, and I feel like I am growing as a rider. There was also a contact with Marc at turn 6 and that was the end of my race because I tried to push again to recover but by then I had lost ground. Overall though, I’m really happy, today we were very fast and I have to be proud for myself and for the guys in the garage.”.
How long did you believe in the podium?
“Until I started to feel the front closing in the fast section, the wind cools the tire easily. I wanted to push and beat the rest of the group on race pace because once I had some distance I could make fewer mistakes. In the end though I opted for caution, I think it was the right choice in the end, there was a risk that I would not have made it to the end”.
It seems that you and Marc are the only riders to take full advantage of the GP23, what in your riding style is helping you to interpret this bike and these new Michelin tyres??
“I’ve always been the kind of rider who manages to bring a lot of speed into corner entry, and this bike already does that on its own, but that doesn’t help because it tends to want to follow its trajectory and push you out. In my case with the my riding style, I am able to impose my speed when entering corners, although I admit that sometimes I would like to be able to lean the bike better into corners, it is a peculiarity of this bike, but I still manage to exploit it to be able to fight in the race”.
You mentioned the front pressure issue. Is it a grip issue or a caution for penalties?
“A question of grip, here in Assen the corners are very fast, if they were slow corners you would have time to react, but here with cold tires if you lose the front you just lose it, so you have to be very careful. Today one of the keys to the race was to use the hard compound”.
Is this why maybe Marc let you pass?
“I’m not sure of Marc’s motivations, but it’s possible. It certainly surprised me, it’s the first time it’s happened to me.”
Martin instead opted for the average.
“I would have liked to use it too, but I knew I would be fighting in the group and in those cases it’s better to have a tyre to be able to attack rather than to go faster. I think Martin instead knew he would be in front and wanted to try something different.”
Next stop is the Sachsenring, a different circuit with slow corners.
“I’m not worried but let’s see, this bike has a lot of grip also on the rear so I think I can do well, maybe adjusting the bike’s setup a bit. Honestly this year I feel competitive on every circuit. I finally understood that to be consistent it’s not just the rider that counts but the work you do with the team, and now we’re working really well. I think we’re a very strong package so I don’t have any big worries now.”
Have you had a chance to look at the Yamahas? They struggle with what you said was your strength. It used to be theirs but not anymore.
“Honestly no, I’m 100% focused on my performance on the track. Last year was difficult for me, I can’t afford to waste even a thousandth of a second thinking about anything else. I’m trying to make the most of every moment I spend on track. track on this bike, giving 100%”.
Do tenders like this make you think about whether to accept other offers?
“I’m improving in all aspects as a rider, and races like this give me even more motivation to want to improve, I would like to be able to fight with Enea, Martin and Pecco. My goal is still the same as always, to win more and more races and then the title. Now I’m on a path that I hope will lead me to that”.
It seems that instead of the Kazakhstan round we will return to Qatar again.
“This is great news! – the Italian smiles, thinking back to his first victory last year – I think the track is fantastic and it would be an opportunity to make up for not being able to do a great job there this season.”
We saw you with Collin Veijer, what do you think of his race today here in Holland?
“It was incredible, he’s maturing a lot. I’ve always said that he’s one of the guys in Moto 3 who has a bright future ahead of him. Today I greeted him and congratulated him on the podium.”
