Fabio di Giannantonio has revealed why he suddenly slowed in the middle of Turn 1 after challenging for the early lead of the Mandalika MotoGP Sprint. Starting from the outside of the front row put the VR46 rider on the inside line for the opening corner.
The Italian pulled alongside the Aprilias of Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi in the braking zone. However, Marc Marquez then squeezed between di Giannantonio and Bezzecchi as four riders converged on the tight first corner.
Replays appeared to show the two Ducatis making light contact and, although di Giannantonio did not name the rider involved, he later confirmed he got hit. The contact also caused his gear lever to select first gear, leaving him stranded on the rev limiter when trying to accelerate out.
"I was on the inside, and I just did my braking and got hit by another rider, and he caused me to have the first gear then. So when I exited from the first corner, I was on the rev limiter of the first gear," di Giannantonio told the media, including Crash.net, after the race.
That lack of acceleration caused a chain reaction behind. Marquez lifted to avoid the back of di Giannantonio, while Bezzecchi reacted to avoid Marquez, resulting in contact with the front wheel of Raul Fernandez and leaving both Aprilias on the ground.
Di Giannantonio spent most of the Sprint in fourth place before inheriting a podium when Jorge Martin, who had already surrendered the lead due to tyre-pressure concerns, ran wide with two laps remaining.
Read Also
Simak analisis lengkap kemarahan Raul Fernandez usai insiden crash dengan Marco Bezzecchi di MotoGP Mandalika. Baca berita selengkapnya di sini!
Simak analisis lengkap insiden panas antara Marco Bezzecchi dan Raul Fernandez di MotoGP 2026. Baca detail selengkapnya di sini!
Simak analisis lengkap Francesco Bagnaia usai finis kedelapan di Sprint MotoGP Mandalika 2026. Baca ulasan mendalam dan performa ban di sini.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!