“A Choice That Didn’t Pay”

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Fabio Di Giannantonio, the Roman rider of the Gresini Racing team, takes stock of his first season in MotoGP.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ansa)
Fabio Di Giannantonio – Motors.News

The first season in MotoGP of Fabio Di Giannantonio closed between ups and downs. The treble at Mugello, with an amazing pole position, and at Sachsenring, with an eighth place as the best result of the season. But the team driver Gresini Racing he paid for the mistake of having a team with no experience in the premier class, forcing him to pay for some inevitable “youth” mistakes on his own skin.

From next season ‘Diggia’ will have a strong crew chief at his side like Frankie Carchedi, who has worked with the world champion in recent seasons Joan Mir in the Suzuki box. He will be a key player in taking the next step and trying to be more consistently in the top 10. The reference points will be Luca Marini and, in particular, Aeneas Bastianiniwith whom he shared the garage during the 2022 World Championship. The Romagna rider not only took four victories with a Ducati GP21, but also stole third place in the final standings at the last round in Valencia from the official Aprilia rider, Aleix Espargarò.

Di Giannantonio: ups and downs of the first MotoGP season

Fabio Di Giannantonio (LaPresse)
Fabio Di Giannantonio – Motors.News

The proximity to Bastianini will serve as a lesson for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who has been able to draw useful data and lessons. “I tried to ‘steal’ as much as possible from Enea and his team“, admitted the 24-year-old Roman driver to ‘Fanpage.it’. “He had an extra year of experience, his team has been working together for many years and it is the team that led Dovizioso to become runner-up in the world… I tried to learn from Enea and from what was done in his box because they were very good“.

Bad season finale of ‘Diggia‘ who was certainly expecting better results, remaining outside the points in the four stages on eastern soil and taking just one point in the finale in Valencia. With the first season in MotoGP archived, we need to think about 2023. At your disposal one Ducati GP22 not very dissimilar to the GP21 with which he made his debut in the Top Class, but on his side he will have more experience and a staff that will surely have grown with him.

In addition to a new crew chief who will be able to pull Fabio Di Giannantonio’s entire team. “There will be Frankie Carchedi who comes from Suzuki. I’m really happy because having a highly experienced figure in the garage gives you so much peace of mind and confidence“. Just what was missing in his first year in MotoGP: “Choosing a team made up of first-year riders in the premier class didn’t pay off. Everyone had to learn a lot of things in their field, so it took us more time to learn“.