VR46 Racing Team rider Fabio di Giannantonio is aiming "for something big" this season as the only satellite rider on the MotoGP grid to receive Ducati's latest GP25 machinery this year.
VR46 benefits from an exclusive partnership with Ducati, as only factory riders Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez will have access to the GP25. However, di Giannantonio's teammate Franco Morbidelli will receive the GP24 from the previous season.
Di Giannantonio, who suffered from a severe shoulder injury last year and missed the last two rounds of the 2024 season believes he could offer tough competition to the factory riders since he shares a similar riding style.
Looking at the upcoming season as an opportunity to prove his racing abilities, the Italian rider said:
“I think that we have an amazing opportunity to improve, learn from the best on the grid and show our potential.
“Our goal and our mission for this year is to enjoy every moment on the factory bike, which for the team and for me is an amazing achievement [in itself].
And improve on last year’s performances by trying to be on the podium.
“It will be amazing also to compare ourselves to them [Pecco and Marc], try to steal some secrets and disturb the fight between the two under-pressure guys.
“Because in the end, we have the same bike. So I want to be one of them, one of the best.
“So the goal is to arrive as close as possible to them, and in case we can, why not try to beat them?
"For sure I aim for something big.”
Explaining the similarities between his riding style and that of the factory riders, di Giannantonio said:
“In 2023, I was really a hard braker, and I was comparable to Pecco. But with the bike of last year it was much more difficult for me to do it.
“And since Marc joined Ducati, when I was checking his data, the particular thing is in the way we use the throttle, we were quite similar.
“So, as you said, I have something of each one.
“Thinking about the project and development, maybe we will have three different ways to work.
"But also I think the best way would be [if] we work on the same path, to speed up the development. But Gigi will manage this at his best for sure.”
The VR46 rider also spoke on his recovery from last year, revealing that he is now 85 percent fit to race. He said:
“I'm good. The recovery is going well. I'm around 85% of the [full] physical form and I hope to improve a little bit more in the next weeks before the first test and first race of the season.
“It has been a long winter. I did a lot a lot of work in every area. I can't wait to join the track in the next week.
“The plan is to ride a few days with a Panigale at Mandalika, so we will test my physical form before the first MotoGP test of this year.”
