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It was a decidedly unlucky Qatar GP for Fabio Di Giannantonio. Having started from the fifth row of the grid, the Roman rider saw his race ruined by a contact with Alex Marquez in the early stages of the race, which sent him plummeting to the rear. And it prevented him from going beyond a 16th place that did not reflect the great pace shown in the race.
"The plan was to stay up front, to try to be as close as possible to Marc and to keep the best possible pace. On paper I knew I could use a tire advantage in the second half of the race, so I was trying to stay ahead of him, or at least close, and then fight it out at the end. I had the pace for the podium and that was the goal, but some events destroyed our plans and unfortunately it all lasted too short," Diggia commented at the end of the race.
The Roman's position on contact with the younger of the Marquez brothers was clear.
"I was in front and I was hit pretty hard. He certainly didn't do it on purpose, it was a mistake, but the only thing I can think of is that in the MotoGP World Championship these kinds of mistakes are a bit on the limit - he affermed - You can accept them in Moto3, maybe in Moto2, maybe even from a MotoGP rookie, who is in front for the first time and is very excited, but between riders of our level we have to try to avoid these kinds of situations, because they are dangerous. This is a dangerous sport and that maneuver really put me in danger, because I was lucky not to crash. And if I had crashed maybe I wouldn't be here talking to reporters, but I would be at the medical center for assessments, because at that point you are going at more than 200 km/h and you have to be extremely aware of that. Especially on the fourth lap of the race. I don't want to comment on the incident itself, but in the future I would like that for a mistake like this, which ruins another rider's race, not only a Long Lap Penalty should be imposed. Because I lost I don't know how many points, while he managed to finish 7th. This is not correct. What should be the proper penalty? I'm a rider, not a Steward, but it should definitely be a little more severe."
So much regret and frustration for the missed opportunity, but Fabio is also aware that he has reached a very good level.
"I am very aware of my potential, we are working well and preparing well for the race weekends. We are fast, even this morning we were able to find a solution on the bike that allowed me to be more competitive without further effort, so I think we can do well in the future - he remarked - As for today, I expected to have a good race and, as I said, the goal was to be able to fight with Marc and aim for victory. I like to look at the positive and this means that we are strong and that we can be there at every race and in every condition."
Among the key episodes of Di Giannantonio's race was a contact with Jorge Martin, which occurred immediately after the Spanish rider crashed between turns 12 and 13.
"First of all, the most important thing is that he is quite well. Today we were lucky," the Roman noted, before explaining the dynamics of the incident: "He was in front of me and went a little wide. I was very close to him to try to pass him and when he fell his body was right in front of my bike, at a point where we go about 200 km/h. I couldn't go anywhere and I touched him. As I kept pushing I was thinking about him, because I was really worried. That's why at the end of the race I stopped outside his pit: I wanted to know from his team that he was okay."
The Ducati rider did not hide the fact that he was surprised by the failure to show the red flag after the reigning champion's accident: "It surprised me. I had goosebumps because, honestly, it was the ugliest scene of my life. He had a bad crash, he was down, and I looked at the screens in the stands to try to see if he was okay. Fortunately he was okay, and I think that's why they didn't show the red flag. In the end it was okay."
Still shaken by the incident, the VR46 rider wanted to highlight the dangerousness of the two incidents in which he was involved.
"We are human, we do a very dangerous sport, perhaps one of the most dangerous in the world, and we are aware of that. It's bad to say, but we riders never really consider a bad situation: death or a bad injury are distant thoughts, yet between motorcycle and rider with these 200kg at 200km/h anything can happen. There are those who manage to be more realistic and those who are less so on this issue," he noted , "What happened with Alex was very dangerous, and I think it's a shame to see episodes like these again, because the risks are taken by both the person who receives a bit of paint-swapping and the person who gives it. The episode with Jorge, then, was very bad and the most important thing today is not the podium or being competitive, but the fact that he is okay, even if he is not 100 percent. For me the victory today is knowing that he's okay."
Another consolation for Diggia came from the words addressed to him at the end of the race by Valentino Rossi.
"He is disappointed about the missed result, but as always he was great. Let's say he comforted me, and at the end he told me that he is very proud of the work and performance we are showing. I go home with this other victory," he concluded.
