Fabio Di Giannantonio completed his second MotoGP season this year and it was far from an easy 2023 for him. Since summer, his spot in the lineup for the following year was seriously in doubt, especially from October to November after Marc Márquez was confirmed as his successor at Gresini. However, he faced adversities and even managed to clinch a victory, despite finishing the championship in 12th place.
The start wasn’t promising for the Italian, as he retired from the main race of the Portuguese GP. Two top ten finishes followed. However, he faced tough months, not matching the results of his colleague Álex Márquez and the other Ducati riders: until the Asian leg, he only had three more top ten finishes, along with a retirement and two races with no points.
Starting from August, Di Giannantonio began to see his place at risk after Gresini didn’t exercise the option they had. Márquez’s arrival in 2024 replacing him was confirmed mid-October. Coincidence or not, there was a clear turning point in #49’s results and performances.
After the retirement at the Indian GP, Di Giannantonio never missed the top ten in the main races and scored in four out of six Sprint races (he hadn’t previously scored in Sprint races). His fourth-place finish in Indonesia hinted at his ability to fight for the podium, which he confirmed with a third-place finish in Australia.
But the best was yet to come at Qatar in the penultimate round. When he almost had no chance to stay in the grid for 2024, Di Giannantonio excelled: strong in qualifying, strong in the Sprint race, and won the main race after a duel with now double champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati).
In a press conference, the Italian revealed his particular determination to win at Losail: ‘I want to be honest: let’s say that after Malaysia something about my future happened and it wasn’t a good thing. So I arrived at home with a lot of anger, but in a positive way. I’ve said two or three times to my closest friends and family: «In Qatar I’m gonna win». And all the guys were saying: «Fabio, don’t say it, please, because if you say it the energy goes away». And I told: «I say to you now, I’m gonna win». But for sure when you arrive here you have to make all the things well and you have to make it happen. For sure it wasn’t easy, but we made it’.
The good moment continued with a fourth-place finish to close out in Valencia, and the rider from Rome managed to earn a place in the VR46 Racing Team for 2024. Now that he fought and stood on the podium, expectations on Di Giannantonio’s and his responsibilities will be greater in 2024. He’ll have to do much better than the 12th place in the championship, as well as show greater result consistency.