On the face of it, issues look fairly rosy for Ducati in 2025. With its darling, two-time world champion Pecco Bagnaia remaining entrance and centre of the staff’s line-up – probably with a 3rd title beneath his belt if this yr goes to plan – alongside six-time premier class champion Marc Marquez, its high two riders are sitting very fairly certainly.
However look past that, and all shouldn’t be as good because it appears. Dropping championship challenger Jorge Martin and Valentino Rossi protege Marco Bezzecchi to Aprilia, in addition to present top-form rider Enea Bastianini to KTM, takes plenty of Ducati’s present star high quality away.
It’s also dropping Pramac from its secure, with Ducati’s long-time satellite tv for pc outfit switching to Yamaha equipment.
Whereas constant performer Alex Marquez will stay at Gresini, doubtless set to be joined by Moto2 rider Fermin Aldeguer, and Franco Morbidelli appears set for a transfer to VR46, the manufacturing facility has one actual saviour amongst its ‘secondary’ ranks – and it is likely to be a stunning one: Fabio Di Giannantonio, newly rewarded with a manufacturing facility deal.
Being parachuted into VR46 for the 2024 season after dropping his Gresini seat to Marquez – although he was more likely to lose it even earlier than the Spaniard pushed him out the door – pitted Di Giannantonio immediately in opposition to Bezzecchi, an intra-team struggle which may’ve been anticipated to go a method solely.
On earlier comparisons, Di Giannantonio fell quick. He scored simply 24 factors in his rookie season in 2022, ending twentieth within the standings and final of the Ducatis, whereas Bezzecchi was 14th with 111 factors as he too made his debut.
Issues weren’t trying a lot better for a lot of the next yr both. After the Japanese Grand Prix, Di Giannantonio had simply 53 factors, whereas a charging Bezzecchi was third total on 265. Di Giannantonio’s premier-class profession gave the impression to be circling the drain.
However a late-season surge ensued, and he scored a career-best fourth subsequent outing on the Indonesian GP, swiftly adopted up by a podium the next week in Australia. Issues acquired even higher: In Qatar, Di Giannantonio took his first MotoGP victory, and he subsequnetly scored a podium on the Valencia season finale – solely to have that taken away as a consequence of a tyre strain penalty.
All of the whereas, he was dealing with a future with out a seat. As late because the post-race press convention at Valencia, Di Giannantonio couldn’t affirm his plans, which have been lastly sealed the next day – lower than 24 hours forward of the pre-season take a look at the place he would first seem for VR46.
At that time, it appeared clear what the hierarchy can be for 2024: Bezzecchi because the star within the making, main the way in which, with Di Giannantonio in a transparent quantity two position.
Now, on the midway mark of the 2024 season, issues have turned out very in a different way. Di Giannantonio at the moment sits on 104 factors in eighth, the fifth greatest Ducati behind Martin, Bagnaia, Bastianini and Marquez, whereas Bezzecchi is eleventh on 61 factors. Of the 4 GP23 riders, Di Giannantonio is the second-best behind solely the mercurial Marquez.
You will need to observe that none of that is to disparage Bezzecchi, who has struggled to adapt to the GP23’s model of braking and turning, however extra to level to Di Giannantonio’s sustained upturn in type. He has certified exterior the highest 10 simply twice thus far this yr, and completed inside that at each grand prix bar one: the German GP on the Sachsenring, the place he retired as a consequence of a technical difficulty.
Sunday’s British Grand Prix, the ultimate race earlier than his manufacturing facility association was introduced, was a working example of simply how far he has come.
Lining up tenth, Di Giannantonio had made up three locations earlier than hitting the Wellington Straight on the opening lap and went on to complete fifth after a last-lap transfer on Aleix Espargaro – although Di Giannantonio mentioned after the race that with out a delay tussling with Alex Marquez, he felt he might have had the tempo to chase after fourth-place finisher Marc Marquez – if not Bagnaia’s third place.
Given the calendar now turns to tracks the place Di Giannantonio carried out so strongly final yr, there may very well be even larger issues in retailer within the second half of 2024, and a continued upturn in type may very well be important for Ducati in 2025.
Whereas Alex Marquez is a dependable presence with occasional podium potential, Morbidelli’s performances are much less predictable, and Aldeguer’s readiness for MotoGP remains to be up for debate.
With the rider market having shifted considerably over the previous few months, as Marquez’s promotion set a number of cogs in movement, Di Giannantonio’s retention was a savvy transfer – however not one which was initially assured. A number of groups have been eager to signal the Italian, with Fabio Quartararo eager for Yamaha to snap him up for Pramac’s roster, whereas Honda beforehand expressed curiosity for 2024 as Marquez’s alternative.
It’s a scenario even Di Giannantonio himself didn’t envisage when he was struggling to discover a dwelling late final yr. Reflecting on that change in fortunes, he mentioned: “I’m tremendous pleased with my journey and honoured that plenty of producers had curiosity in me. It implies that I’m doing a great job and studying and turning into quicker and quicker.
“I simply tried final yr to deal with myself and it’s working, as a result of on the finish, we did an unbelievable progress by means of the yr and in addition this yr it was additionally vital to be there and push with the bike that I’ve now.”
Requested whether or not he might have imagined being in such a scenario final yr, he added: “Typically life is unbelievable and I feel you’re the just one who can change your future and we modified it, so I’m tremendous proud, truthfully.”
With that in thoughts, it feels as if Di Giannantonio will present a steadying presence, together with his wholesome type permitting him to play de-facto quantity three supporting the star duo of Bagnaia and Marquez.
Regardless of these hints of curiosity from elsewhere, it had began to really feel prefer it was solely a matter of time earlier than Ducati acquired its subsequent puzzle piece in place. Given Di Giannantonio’s trajectory, that may very well be an important one certainly.