Fabio Di Giannantonio's physical condition is far from good. The fall he took during the tests at the Austrian GP - in which he dislocated his left shoulder and was forced to forfeit - is giving him serious problems, and what further aggravated the situation was the fall in Misano when he hit his injured shoulder again, besides bruising his ribs.
And if that weren't enough, he was penalized in the Emilia-Romagna GP during the Sprint Race, due to an irregular rear tire pressure, while he was punished for a Long Lap in the race for exceeding the track limits too many times.
But Fabio was far from the positions he had accustomed us to, precisely because of his aches and pains. Right now, the possibility of him stopping to have shoulder surgery is becoming more concrete.
Di Giannantonio flew to Lombok to take part in the Indonesia GP, the most important race of the year for Pertamina, the team's sponsor. The island's airport was decorated with blow-ups of the two VR46 team riders, and the oil company will have hundreds of guests in the paddock for the weekend. So it's almost impossible to miss the appointment, but Fabio might decide to stop after that GP.
After the Misano race, Fabio explained that he would need "at least two months to recover to eighty percent with all the inflammation and injuries" he has. A surgical procedure could speed things up, also in view of next season.
Di Giannantonio will remain in VR46,but with a contract signed directly with Ducati and with a GP25, the same official Desmosedici with which Bagnaia and Marquez will race. Stopping for surgery would make him miss many races (as many as 4 GPs are scheduled in the next 5 weeks), but it would also be the best solution for 2025.
Fabio never confirmed this option ("We'll think about the possibility of surgery. I want to honor my commitment to the team," he had said at the San Marino GP), but he might not have a choice. He himself said that "without painkillers, I couldn't think about racing," and there's little point in continuing like this, just to pick up few points a weekend.
He's now thinking about Indonesia, then he may reach the decision to have surgery.