What a wild way to celebrate a birthday. As Motorsport.com Italia reports, Fabio Di Giannantonio fought his way to another Sprint podium at Mandalika, securing a hard-earned third place after a chaotic start that completely reshuffled the order in Indonesia.
Starting from the third slot on the grid, the VR46 Racing Team rider launched off the line brilliantly, pushing hard into the opening braking zone to try and take the lead. Right beside him came Marc Marquez, while further out the Aprilia machines of Marco Bezzecchi and poleman Raul Fernandez tangled as the riders tried to lift their bikes, ending up on the ground. Amidst the madness, Jorge Martin grabbed the lead, dropping Di Giannantonio down to fourth behind Ai Ogura as well.
Our bike is great, but the Aprilia gain a lot in the fast sections and therefore we are forced to risk more to stay close to them, in order to exploit our strong point which is braking,
"At the start I honestly didn't really understand what happened," Di Giannantonio said. "I tried to brake as late as possible and, when I entered the corner, I felt a contact and first gear engaged. At the time I thought I could make it round in first, but when I came out and opened the throttle I felt I was on the rev limiter. Being on the inside I didn't see what happened behind, I didn't even know Bez had crashed."
Celebrated on his 28th birthday with a trophy, the Roman rider had to mount a fierce recovery. Martin eventually saw his pace drop due to tire pressure before making an error in the closing laps, opening the door for Di Giannantonio to reclaim third behind Marquez and Ogura. Still, the VR46 rider felt there was even more on the table.
"I'm very happy with the potential we had during the race and honestly I had more than Ogura," Di Giannantonio stated. "The problem was that I couldn't attack him because I arrived fast, but from afar; when it's like that, the tire gets very hot and you run risks. But I think something more could have been done."
Reflecting on the fierce battle against their rivals, the birthday podium finisher pointed out the strengths of the competition machine. "Our bike is great, but the Aprilia gain a lot in the fast sections and therefore we are forced to risk more to stay close to them, in order to exploit our strong point which is braking," he explained. "In the end let's say we are similar, but when you are behind you have to push to catch the rivals and so it's clear that they are in a more comfortable situation than us, they have a great pace as seen in practice."
"First of all I must reiterate that I am always very critical towards myself and today it must be said that I could have done better, but at least we managed to get back up there and I am happy to have managed to fight with the best," Di Giannantonio added, underlining the team's ongoing progress. "As always we never give up, we try to be analytical and critical of ourselves, trying to improve with work. You never stop growing and we are also becoming protagonists again."
