MotoGP, Di Giannantonio: "Binder blocked me. I threw away a podium."

In Buriram, he picked up less than expected, and this disappointed him greatly. Instead, Fabio Di Giannantonio was back to his old self in Argentina: fifth in both the Sprint Race and the GP, despite his sore left shoulder.

"Looking at the two top fives, it was a really good weekend. In terms of speed and consistency, I really progressed from Thailand. I'm really happy and proud because we did a great job," the rider from Rome said. "Obviously, I can't be one hundred percent satisfied because I wanted to finish in the top three."

"Without Morbidelli's overtake, I think I would've finished the race differently. The start was good, and the plan was to reach a fourth, fifth position right away and then start the chase. However, Franco did well and ruined my GP. I was behind Binder for three quarters of the race and lost a lot of time, also because Brad is very difficult to overtake. I had a great pace, to the extent that, after twenty laps, I was still doing 1'38"3. But, by then, it was too late. I'm a bit angry, because I feel I threw away a podium," he said, continuing with his analysis.

"With the current regulations, if you're behind someone who's breaking away, you can only save yourself if he makes a mistake. In my case, the KTM rider made a small mistake, and I managed to squeeze in. Otherwise, I would've definitely been stuck. This is also why qualifying and the first few laps are crucial. In those stages, you have to take risks."

Speaking, instead, about his physical condition, the VR46 team rider revealed: "It was hard, but not like last weekend where, in the last laps, I was exhausted. Here, in the closing laps, I lost concentration and even forgot to deactivate the holeshot twice. So I faced turn six like on a chopper. I kept thinking about how to recuperate energy on the straight. In the next few days, I'll try to train and prepare myself as best as I can for Austin." And the Texas circuit, in particular, could prove to be tricky. "I hope not, but I'm afraid it will be. Like I said, in the next few days, instead of resting, I'll spend time recuperating muscle in my upper body." Finally, when asked if he had expected to be so combative until the end, Diggia replied: "Yes, and you'll see more of these."