– VR46-Ducati is doing everything to keep Fabio Di Giannantonio in the team beyond the current MotoGP season. For team director Alessio “Uccio” Salucci, it is clear: the Italian remains the top priority, even though internally they are already considering alternatives – just in case.
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After a strong start to the season, Di Giannantonio has come into the spotlight of several teams. The 26-year-old himself confirmed that the interest is high.
“We are really doing good work on the track, and that naturally affects the future. Many teams want to have me on their side. That is great because it means you are doing good work. Everything is still open, to be honest, but I am happy about the interest,” the Italian recently revealed.
Salucci: “He is a priority for us”
At VR46, they definitely want to continue the current upward trend together. Salucci reminds in an interview with Motorsport.com Italy, a partner site of Motorsport-Total.com, that the team believed in Di Giannantonio early on.
“I remember when we signed him two years ago. There was hardly any interest in him then. We believed in him, and now he is highly sought after, which is great.”
At the same time, exactly this development complicates contract negotiations. “On the other hand, it makes things more complicated. He is a priority for us, and we are trying to put together an offer that does justice to the current Di Giannantonio, both technically and financially. We hope it works out and he decides to stay with us for the next years,” says the team director.
It is clear: Di Giannantonio is “Plan A” for the upcoming season, in which he is expected to race alongside Fermin Aldeguer. His move to VR46 for 2027 is an open secret and is close to official confirmation.
These riders are still in consideration
Nevertheless, the team is preparing for all scenarios. Should Di Giannantonio leave – rumors suggest it could be KTM – VR46 has several options in reserve.
“Everything is possible. We have a Plan B, C, and D. As I said, Diggia is our priority, and it would disappoint me to have to move to Plan B, but in this sport, you always need alternatives,” Salucci knows. Among the possible candidates is Franco Morbidelli, who is currently struggling with inconsistent form.
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Photo gallery: The contract durations of the current MotoGP riders
Luca Marini is also an option, depending on his future at Honda. In addition, Salucci names other names: “I like Celestino Vietti, he is close to my heart. And why not Nicolo Bulega as well? There are many options that we keep open.”
Salucci describes the current phase as crucial for the long-term direction of the team: “It is an exciting but also delicate phase. We are working hard because the decisions we make now will influence the coming years. We hope to make the right choice – and that Diggia stays.”
Aldeguer: Will the transfer happen now?
At the same time, VR46 is pushing forward the signing of Aldeguer. The young Spaniard, currently racing for Gresini-Ducati, is highly rated by Salucci: “For me, he is a top rider.”
“He has already won, is young, and has many qualities. He is not with us yet, but I hope we can finalize the deal in the next weeks. We definitely want him.” This is not the first time VR46 has tried to sign him.
An earlier attempt to sign Aldeguer failed due to his then Moto2 situation: “We tried earlier, but he was with a Moto2 team and we didn’t want to cause problems. So we waited, hoping to sign him later, and hopefully that will happen.”
On the other hand, VR46 could not realize another desired target: Pedro Acosta. Despite intensive efforts, including from team boss Valentino Rossi personally, a transfer did not materialize. Acosta instead chose the Ducati factory team.
Salucci openly expresses disappointment about this: “I regret that. [Acosta] and Fermin are among the most talented young riders. They are the future of MotoGP. We would have loved to have Pedro with us, but there were contracts and a complicated situation around him. In the end, it just didn’t work out.”
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