Mugello, Fabio Di Giannantonio cuddles Marc Marquez: "We need you"

Fabio Di Giannantonio comes to Mugello as a leading name for Ducati, thanks to the majuscule performances he is giving himself in the saddle of the Desmosedici of Team VR46 in this first phase of the 2026 MotoGP championship. A not insignificant part of his reflections on Thursday that opened the Italian Grand Prix program, however, go to Marc Marquez, who precisely in Tuscany will return to the track after the very bad accident in Le Mans, complete with injury and operation. And it was precisely to him that the Roman dedicated a thought that did more than make the rounds of the paddock.

“We need the world champion to be on track with all of us,” Di Giannantonio said. Fighting with him is an additional motivation to race, and certainly keeping Marc Marquez out of the title fight is something you can never do. Back in 2022, when there were not even Sprints, we saw what a comeback Bagnaia managed to make. So Marc will certainly be in the fight, of that I am sure. He will be there and he will be very fast.”

Di Giannantonio is also fresh off a spectacular crash, fortunately with minimal consequences, on that same Montmeló track that later saw him return to victory in MotoGP. At Mugello with his left millet bandaged, he then assured, “I’m fine. I was able to rest, and the checks I did confirmed that the finger is fine. Sunday the scare was big, but everything ended well fortunately. Now I want to focus on Mugello, a really special, magical place that represents the purest motorsport.”

The victory in Barcelona represented for Di Giannantonio a further turning point in an already brilliant season. The Roman rider came out on top in a race disrupted by two red flags, changing pace in the final segment and decisively overtaking Pedro Acosta. A success that Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna celebrated with meaningful words: “He showed further maturity, making the most of the restarts after the red flags. It was a complex race, superbly managed, adding to a fast and solid start to the season with consistent results.” It is the second career victory in the premier class for “Diggia,” after the one he obtained in Lusail in 2023.

Marquez’s return to Mugello is awaited with great curiosity, but the reigning world champion was keen to clarify his physical condition without hiding his difficulties. “The foot was and remains broken, but for riding a motorcycle it’s not a big problem. It doesn’t worry me, it’s a trifle that shouldn’t limit my performance,” the Spaniard explained. If anything, the real problems concern the shoulder, because the damage turned out to be more serious than expected. It will take time to get back to the best, the screw was touching the nerve and this also affected some muscles. But with the doctors we determined that the time had come to get back on the bike, although I will have to do it with the right mindset.” Words that photograph a courageous comeback but aware of its limits, with Marquez accusing a delay of 85 points from World Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.

On the subject, Pecco Bagnaia also expressed himself, who at Mugello presents himself with an unprecedented role compared to recent years: that of internal pursuer in the Ducati house. The Piedmontese of the Factory team admitted without mincing words the superiority of his brand mate at this stage of the season: “Let’s be realistic. We are working well in Ducati, but the fact that Fabio Di Giannantonio is in better condition with our package is quite obvious. This is a good track for us, and I am also aware that my riding style is very well suited to the characteristics of Mugello. But we have to put all these elements into perspective from Friday, all the more so because we will be up against a very strong Aprilia and a KTM that is really fast this year.” A statement of realism that comes after a Catalan weekend in which Bagnaia had finished in third place, then relegated to fourth due to tire pressure checks.

Making the Tuscan weekend even more full of cues is the presence of a KTM in great form, with Pedro Acosta indicated by many as one of the most unpredictable variables of the lot. Also pointing this out is Kevin Schwantz, MotoGP legend and 1993 world champion, who drew an articulate picture of the hierarchies at Mugello: “Even with one finger probably still sore, I think Marquez will be competitive. But MotoGP changes every week. Bagnaia races at home, so who knows. If Acosta and KTM find something to have more consistency in the race, they could be up there in front.” Words that confirm how the Italian Grand Prix opens with more than one candidate for victory and with balances still all to be defined.

In the background of the Tuscan weekend, the big market maneuvers concerning Di Giannantonio himself are also moving. According to the latest rumors, the Roman rider – the absolute protagonist of this first part of the season with the Ducati VR46 – would be destined to switch to the official KTM in 2027, the year in which the championship will also experience a technical revolution with the transition from 1000cc to 850cc. An interweaving of ambitions and strategies that makes the Italian Grand Prix even more charged with meaning, on and off the track.