Fabio Di Giannantonio expressed his admiration for Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP satellite team after finishing his first year with the team.
The Italian was presented with a career lifeline after losing his seat at Gresini Racing to Marc Marquez.
The VR46 satellite team opted to sign Di Giannantonio despite having no previous affiliation with Rossi through his junior teams or academy.
After Pramac switched to Yamaha on a multi-year agreement for 2025, Ducati awarded VR46 Ducati with factory status, and the team gave Di Giannantonio the third and final factory spec bike for the new season.
“It has been my best season of my career,” Di Giannantonio told BikeSport News after the 2024 season.
“I have never been so consistent and so in a high level, because in MotoGP I never had this level all year long.”
“Also this year has been tough for many reasons, also apart from the injury the bike was not that easy. But we were there and always fighting. And before my injury, I just finished Silverstone just behind Pecco [Bagnaia] and [Marc] Marquez.
“So, could have been a really great year for us. But we have to take out the positives. I grew a lot as a rider and also as a person.
“This is thanks also to the team because the team is amazing. Believe me, this team is in another league. This team is fantastic. It’s a factory team.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio “looking forward” to testing GP25
Di Giannantonio had the best season of his career as he broke into the top ten in the MotoGP championship for the first time.
Despite recording no podiums in either Sprint or Sunday races, the Italian beat his team-mate Marco Bezzecchi.
The 26-year-old had to end his 2024 season early after suffering from a broken collarbone in Austria, meaning he missed the final two races to try and come back fully fit for the first 2025 season test.
His results rewarded him with a GP25 ride for 2025, stating that he is “looking forward” to testing it in the new year.
“I miss the bike like hell. I would like to get on the track tomorrow,” he admitted to gpone.
“I’m looking forward to trying it out to see for myself what kind of feeling it will give me.
“From the astonished comments of those who tried the GP23 again, and then got on the GP25, I was surprised. Even [Michele Pirro] didn’t expect to struggle so much on that bike, so going up on the GP25 the difference is noticeable would already be a major step forward.
“It would allow me to optimise my riding style by not having to focus on optimising the package, and that already starts well.
“Of course, I don’t take it for granted at all, it’s still a new bike, and there will be an adjustment period.
“So there will be a lot of work to do. Nothing is taken for granted, but I certainly expect to start from a very good base.”
