Di Giannantonio wants to talk about everything—except the incident with Marquez in the Austin Sprint. The VR46 team rider’s race lasted only a few turns before Marc, in an attempt to pass, crashed and took him down with him. The Spaniard was penalized for the move, but Fabio seems to have other things on his mind.“I think we’ve done so many good things that we shouldn’t focus solely on what happened in the Sprint,” he said.
He’s right; he secured his second consecutive pole position and, on paper, was among the favorites to win. Unfortunately, however, his Saturday ended without him even seeing the chequered flag.
“We had a great day, another pole position; I’m thrilled because I’m able to maintain an incredible pace in all conditions, and I’m putting pressure on the Aprilias,” he continues. “I’m really happy with what I’m showing. Tomorrow I’ll have another opportunity, and the goal will be to win, just as it was today. I just need to find a way to make it happen, but I think I’m on the right track.”
Marquez apologized, but Diggia doesn’t even want to comment on that.
“It was just an obstacle on the road to victory. I’m thinking about tomorrow; my focus is entirely there. I don’t have time to be angry; a minor incident can’t ruin everything I’ve done,” he stated.
Looking back at that brief moment of the race, the only thing one can fault him for is a less-than-perfect start.
“The first corner is very tricky, and it’s easy to get overtaken. Acosta executed a block pass; he was very good at it, and it’s normal to face attacks at that point. I had positioned myself to be ready to counterattack, but there wasn’t enough time.”
Thankfully, there’s still another race to go. Di Giannantonio has an excellent chance to make up for it; the only unknown will be the conditions, as higher temperatures are forecast.
“It was hot on Friday too, and I had a good pace,” he recalled. “I feel confident; everything is going very well. I’m just undecided about which tyre to use, but I feel in a good position to choose the right one. I just need to try to get to the front to set my own pace.”