Four podium finishes with the factory Ducati, but weaknesses in the early stages of races—Fabio Di Giannantonio explains why he deliberately chooses not to be a kamikaze rider.
In his second season with the VR46 team and his first as a factory-supported Ducati rider, Fabio Di Giannantonio achieved four podium finishes in Grand Prix races. Second place in Australia was his best result.
The Italian started from the front row three times and from the second row three times. In the remaining 16 qualifying sessions, Di Giannantonio failed to make it into the first two rows. As a result, he often found himself caught up in the chaos of the first lap.
It was noticeable that the 27-year-old was not often among those riders who were able to regularly make up places in the early stages of the race. ” To be honest, I don’t have the balls to be such a kamikaze on the first lap,“ said Di Giannantonio after the Portuguese Grand Prix. In Portimao, he started from ninth on the grid and only came back from the first lap in 14th place. ”Of course, I try to get the best possible position, to be further ahead, but always at the limit of survival.”
“At the end of the day, we’re riding at 200 to 300 km/h on the straight into a braking zone, and in front of you you have a group of several 200-kilogram motorcycles and people. So if you hit someone with a dive bomb, it hurts.”
“And to be honest, I always prefer to play clean,” says Di Giannantonio. Nevertheless, he doesn’t want his words to be misunderstood: “I didn’t say I don’t have the balls to be aggressive.”
“I just said I don’t have the balls to be a kamikaze. That’s something else. Aggressiveness is definitely part of the sport, and I’m an aggressive driver when I need to be.“
”For example, in Saturday’s sprint in Portugal: I had a great start and was already sixth after three corners, I think, or around there. So I’m aggressive when I need to be aggressive, but I’m definitely not a kamikaze driver who just plows into things.”
“I’m not a champagne or gravel bed driver,” is how Di Giannantonio puts it. In other words, he wants to take calculated risks and not leave things to chance, which could end badly and lead to crashes and injuries.
Nevertheless, qualifying, the start, and the first few corners are crucial for the final result. Overtaking maneuvers have become more difficult from year to year. On some tracks, processions develop after the first lap.
“I think what has changed the most is the moment when sprints were introduced,” says “Diggia,” looking back on 2023. “In the beginning, everyone was pretty optimistic because everyone thought the sprints would be very short.”
“Now, I think everyone is calmer and more sensible when it comes to maneuvers. That’s the biggest change I’ve personally experienced.” In sprints, Di Giannantonio achieved five podium finishes in 2025, but no victories.