Fabio Di Giannantonio believes Ducati must continue developing the GP26 after witnessing Aprilia Racing's dominant performance at the 2026 Dutch MotoGP in Assen. Although he reduced the championship deficit to 16 points, the VR46 rider admitted Aprilia's pace has become a genuine concern in the title fight.
Di Giannantonio finished fourth behind the trio of Aprilia riders Ai Ogura, Raul Fernandez and Jorge Martin. The result allowed him to close the gap after Marco Bezzecchi retired following an early crash.
Despite being satisfied with extracting the maximum from his package at a circuit that suited Aprilia, the Italian admitted Ducati now faces a growing technical challenge against the RS-GP.
"We knew the Aprilias were amazing here, so reducing the gap to the championship leader is fantastic. Fourth place is a good result for us today," Di Giannantonio said.
He stressed that Aprilia's advantage cannot be explained solely by rider performance. Instead, he believes the RS-GP currently possesses a technical edge that Ducati has yet to match with its latest MotoGP machine.
"I'm happy because I achieved the maximum and the bike delivered its maximum too. But I'm a bit worried about the gap to the Aprilias because they are performing incredibly well. I don't think it's only about the riders; I think their bike has something more. The riders are doing an amazing job, but the bike is too. We must improve our bike if we want to fight them," he explained.
Di Giannantonio, currently Ducati's highest-placed rider in the championship, also insisted his title position has not changed the level of factory support he receives. According to the Italian, Ducati has remained fully committed since he joined its factory rider programme.
"Since I joined the factory programme they've always been there for me, so nothing has really changed because of my championship position. When Marc was injured they naturally had more time in my garage, but apart from that they've always given me as much support as possible. I have nothing bad to say about it," he concluded.
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