A mixed first weekend for the VR46 drivers: "It feels like we had two separate races."

Despite a difficult start to the season in MotoGPThe VR46 riders can boast of being Ducati's best representatives. Finishing sixth after McMárquez's retirement due to a puncture, Fabio Di Giannantonio – naturally dissatisfied with the result – prefers to look on the bright side. "It was a good weekend, the team did a very good job over the three days, and I want to focus on that. We have a lot of positives from this weekend, we really did a good job." Fast from the start, the Italian was constantly at the front. "I was fast in practice; I think my worst result was in Free Practice 2, but otherwise we were really fast all weekend." A pace confirmed in the race, even if events played against him.

On Saturday, an incident with Álex Márquez at the start of the Sprint had already jeopardized his ambitions. On Sunday, a mechanical problem that appeared on the seventh lap hampered him. "Unfortunately, luck wasn't on our side. I couldn't attack the way I wanted because of that." According to him, a podium finish was possible. "I think we could have fought for a place on the podium; we knew Aprilia would be very fast here and that KTM would also have the means to be in good form." Although unable to fully exploit his potential at the end of the race, Di Giannantonio nevertheless maintains an optimistic outlook. "Finishing in this position despite our technical issues makes me positive for the upcoming races."

"I'm having trouble with the new package."

For his part, Franco Morbidelli experienced a first MotoGP 2026 Grand Prix split into two parts. "It seems like we had two separate races." Struggling in the early laps, particularly at the start, the Italian driver pointed to his still incomplete adaptation to the Desmosedici GP25: "I had another very bad start; I'm struggling with the new package in those phases. I was nineteenth until the fifth lap, and I was really struggling."

But once the rhythm was found, the dynamic reversed. "I found my rhythm after that, and I started to move up. I gained a lot of places until I finished eighth." Significant progress that allows him to draw a nuanced but encouraging conclusion. "I would say the first third of the race wasn't good, but the last two-thirds were much better."

In the end, the VR46 team leaves with solid points and a sense of even greater potential. The two drivers finished seventh and ninth in the Drivers' Championship, with 12 and 8 points respectively, with Fabio Di Giannantonio holding the advantage. Between the performance shown and the areas for improvement identified, the foundations seem to be in place to convert these promising signs into more significant results in the upcoming races.

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