Fabio di Giannantonio has asserted that the era where Ducati could rely on certain circuits as their 'home' tracks is over. The VR46 Racing Team rider pointed to Ducati's double defeat at the Red Bull Ring in Austria as proof that traditional dominance can no longer be guaranteed.
For years, the Red Bull Ring was a Ducati stronghold. Since the circuit returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2016, the Desmosedici had won at least one race there every year. However, in the latest edition, Aprilia and KTM broke that dominance—Aprilia won the Sprint, while KTM took the main race victory. Ducati's main issue was the stiffer-construction rear tyre, which didn't suit their bike's characteristics.
Motegi, the host of the next round, has also been a comfortable territory for Ducati. Seven consecutive victories—including Sprints—have been achieved by Ducati at the Japanese circuit, stretching back to Marc Marquez's 2019 win with Honda. Nevertheless, di Giannantonio refuses to be complacent. "I really hope that it will be a strong Ducati [track] here, but we experienced already that these things don't really exist anymore," he said.
The Italian rider added that Austria too was supposed to be a Ducati track, but reality differed. "That's the good thing about MotoGP: every time you go on track you don't really know 100% what will happen. You always have to give 100% because the competition is really high. So to be again a Ducati track, we must be really competitive overall and we must do a super job," he explained.
Uncertainty this weekend is further compounded by the new asphalt at Motegi and the threat of rain. "I'm pumped about the weekend. We'll see with the new asphalt, also the conditions will be a question mark for everybody, especially at the beginning, but I can't wait to start," di Giannantonio added.
Currently, di Giannantonio sits fifth in the world championship standings. However, he has yet to score a podium since the summer break. Consistency remains a challenge for him, especially if he wants to stay in the upper echelon. Ducati themselves need to quickly find a solution to the tyre issues that emerged in Austria, to avoid losing more points at circuits that were traditionally theirs.
With new asphalt and unpredictable weather, Motegi could be a true test for Ducati. Will they be able to dominate again, or will they continue to be challenged by rivals? One thing is clear: di Giannantonio and the entire Ducati team will not take anyone lightly.
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