Fabio Di Giannantonio is not holding back his frustration. Ahead of a 2027 season filled with major changes, he feels the MotoGP shakedown test rule at Sepang—which allows only rookies and test riders to participate—creates an unfair advantage. The rider set to move to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing believes preparations for the 850cc era are becoming lopsided.
The 2027 season will indeed be a major turning point in MotoGP history. 1,000cc engines will be replaced by 850cc units, ride height devices will be banned, and Pirelli will replace Michelin as the official tyre supplier. For some riders, this technical transition is compounded by a switch in manufacturers. Di Giannantonio is among them, moving from VR46 Ducati to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The same goes for Luca Marini, who moves to Red Bull KTM Tech3, and Francesco Bagnaia, who crosses over to Aprilia.
Unfortunately, the change of brands is not matched by sufficient testing time. At the post-race test in Brno before the summer break, only Pedro Acosta and the two factory Honda riders were able to ride the new bike despite moving manufacturers for 2027. As a result, most of those changing brands will not taste the 850cc machinery with Pirelli tyres until the Valencia test in November, early December. In fact, there are only four official test days in 2027 before the first race at the beginning of March.
This situation puts the riders changing manufacturers at an obvious experience deficit. They are not only behind riders like Marc Marquez, who already rode the 850cc Ducati in Brno and will ride it again at the Red Bull Ring test, but also behind rookies who will be able to ride in the Sepang Shakedown. Moreover, Nicolo Bulega, who has Pirelli experience from WorldSBK and has been involved in Ducati’s 850cc testing programme throughout 2026, will be a rookie eligible for the Shakedown. Bulega clearly has more experience on the 2027 bike than any other rider on the grid.
Di Giannantonio hopes the shakedown rule will be changed. "For sure, what's happening is not a thing that I'm happy with, because for sure we will have just four days to understand the new bike – on my case, new team, new tires," he said. "I know that Fabio Quartararo said, for example, for him it would be alright to have only four days on the bike. But honestly, I think you have to be really lucky that in four days you will find the perfect setup, perfect balance, perfect everything to be able to win the first race."
The Italian added that at the moment, Bulega is the guy with the most experience on the new bike. "Now they will arrive more riders trying the new bike, so they will have some more advantages too. But, on my side, for sure, I would like to have more time to be as ready as I can for the first race. So, at the moment, I think the things are not going quite equally for everybody."
Di Giannantonio also highlighted the difficulty of pushing for change due to the lack of a solid riders' association. "It's really difficult, because at the moment, as always, we don't have a rider association or something. But also, at the moment, the riders that could be part of the rider association can be against the riders [who want the change]. It's a tough situation at the moment, and I think that [there’s] not much the parties involved can do, apart from MotoGP itself that can decide how much time a rider can have before the first race."
"It's like, I feel like, the regulations that we have with the training bikes, that we have pretty strict regulations, I think we should put something like this for the next year, especially for the first races, because, for sure, it's not equal for everybody."
Meanwhile, Luca Marini, who is also changing team and manufacturer to Red Bull KTM Tech3, has a different stance. He is not bothered about having only four days of testing in the new year. "The [shakedown] rule at the moment is like this [only rookies and test riders], so we need to adapt and we need to do our best. We are MotoGP riders and in two days we need to do all the job. Especially understand well the tyres, and also the new bike for the guys that change manufacturers like me, like Pecco [moving from Ducati to Aprilia], will be a little bit more tricky, more difficult. But we are ready for this, no problem."
This difference of opinion highlights the challenge MotoGP faces in its massive technical transition. With only four official test days, riders changing manufacturers must fight extra hard. Meanwhile, rookies like Bulega actually have an experience advantage. Will MotoGP change the shakedown rule for fairness? Time will tell, but for Di Giannantonio, every second on the new bike matters.
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