Second in Free Practice 1 and third in pre-qualifying, Fabio di Giannantonio confirmed his excellent form in the opening stages of the Texas weekend as well, demonstrating composure and a strong connection with his Desmosedici, despite a minor crash at Turn 11 during the afternoon session that slowed his progress and, above all, his efforts to secure a spot in Q2.
“It was difficult to maintain the pace because when I got back on track, I was on the same tyres I’d been using before the crash, and we had a program to stick to,” the VR46 Racing rider admitted immediately after the session.
“Since it took me a while to get back to the pits, the tyres had cooled down, so at first I couldn’t get them to work well, but then the team calmed me down by showing confidence in my chances, and in fact I went out and did a good lap, so I’m happy,” he later elaborated on those tense moments.
The crash was caused not by a rider error, but by an issue well known to the Italian team. “The failure is mechanical in nature, but not related to Ducati. We’ve been working on it for years, yet sometimes it resurfaces and we don’t fully understand why. That said, I want to maintain a positive mindset. Everything is going well,” he reiterated his optimistic approach, which is also due to his excellent rapport with the team members, a dynamic that is inevitably facilitating progress.
“In 2025, we worked hard. When you join an official team, it’s not easy. Sometimes the new updates make you go faster right away, while in other cases, you struggle more. I still want to congratulate the team on what they’ve done. It’s proof that I’ve been precise in my analysis and in pointing out the bike’s strengths and weaknesses. Right now, we’re trying to incorporate everything that’s yielded positive results,” he said.
Going into detail about the changes made along the way, the Roman rider explained: “Ultimately, the bike changes very little from one season to the next, especially if you have a winning package, even though it’s normal for there to be some differences. It would be a gamble to completely overhaul it. The problem is that if you’re aiming for the track record, everything has to be perfect from a technical and engineering standpoint. Ducati and the team are putting in every ounce of effort, and it’s only fair to acknowledge that.”
Finally, regarding the recent head-to-head in Brazil (which saw him come out on top and take the podium) with reigning champion Marquez, he commented with intellectual honesty:“I always feel small among the greats. Marc is a legend, one of the strongest champions in history, while I’ve won far less. For Fabio, it’s great to be there fighting, but you have to be professional and put it all in perspective; in fact, as early as Monday I started thinking about the present. That’s all in the past now.”