Fabio Di Giannantonio endured an uncharacteristically anonymous Austrian MotoGP Sprint, finishing outside the points in 10th as he grappled with what he described as a "completely unusual" lack of rear grip at the Red Bull Ring.
The Red Bull Ring is one of only a handful of circuits on the MotoGP calendar – alongside Buriram, Goiania, and Mandalika – where Michelin supplies a harder-construction rear tyre to cope with excessive heat build-up. That same construction was used in Brazil earlier this year, where Di Giannantonio finished second in the Sprint and third in the grand prix. Yet in Austria, with the identical tyre, he found himself without rear grip.
"It's quite strange this weekend," Di Giannantonio said after the Sprint. "I want to continue to be positive and stay focused, but the truth is we are struggling so much with rear grip all weekend long. It's normal – I hear all the Ducati riders – but from my side, it's completely unusual."
Typically, when other riders complain about grip, Di Giannantonio is the one who says there's more grip on track. He pointed to Barcelona, where he always had grip, and Goiania with the same casing. "So, I'm experiencing a new thing this year. I'm really struggling to get the connection with the throttle, really struggling to understand where the grip is to have good acceleration. It's strange," he added.
Looking ahead to Sunday's full-distance race, the VR46 Racing Team rider added: "I will do everything possible to try to understand what to improve. We did some races where we improved from the second day to the third. For sure it's never easy, but I will try. We must improve something or try to improve for tomorrow."
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