Fabio di Giannantonio sets pace in the Italian MotoGP GP and leads two free practice sessions with a red flag By Jeronimo Santos
3 min read
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Fabio di Giannantonio set the pace during Friday’s free practice for Grande Prêmio of Itália MotoGP. The Italian driver maintained a consistent performance, leading both sessions in Mugello and securing the top position at the end of the first day of activities. Quatro drivers from Ducati finished in the top five, highlighting the strength of the team.
Di Giannantonio’s performance was immediately competitive on the Italian circuit. Ele surpassed his own first free practice mark by almost half a second in the first five minutes of the second session, demonstrating great speed. The competition for the lead was intense throughout the day, with several competitors posting fast times.
Di Giannantonio maintains leadership and Ducati consolidates positions
The Ducati driver remained uncatchable, beating Francesco Bagnaia by a margin of less than a tenth of a second. Sua fastest lap, 1m44s808, secured first place in the free practice combined. Ducati, as a brand, has demonstrated significant dominance on the track.
Outros pilots from Ducati also occupied prominent positions. Enea Bastianini moved up to third place, securing an Italian double in the top three positions. Team VR46’s Franco Morbidelli provided more reasons for local fans to celebrate, finishing fourth. The strong presence of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer was evident in the results.
- The day’s final rankings in top positions included:
- Fabio di Giannantonio (Ducati)
- Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
- Enea Bastianini (Tech3 Ducati)
- Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati)
- Fermin Aldeguer (Aprilia)
- Marc Márquez (Ducati)
- Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia)
- Jorge Martin (Ducati)
- Alex Rins (Yamaha)
- Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda)
Red flagged Incidentes stops sessions on Mugello
Friday was marked by two interruptions due to red flags during free practice. The first incident occurred just before the halfway point of the second session, when Fabio Quartararo lost control of his Yamaha in turn 4. The bike slid across the gravel box and came to rest on the track again, requiring a quick removal of the wreckage to resume activities.
Mais late, with approximately 12 minutes remaining until the end of training, Brad Binder’s KTM stopped shortly after exiting the pits. Essa occurrence forced the race management to raise the red flag again. Ambas stoppages were short-lived, allowing the drivers to return to the track and continue their fast lap attempts.
Tight Competição precedes qualification in Mugello
The competition for the best times was fierce, with several drivers looking to improve their marks. Inicialmente, Alex Rins edged Di Giannantonio by half a tenth, before Francesco Bagnaia took the lead with a time of 1:45.697 using the soft rear tire on his factory Ducati. Essa remained unbeatable for around 25 minutes, showing the intensity of the competition.
Posteriormente, Ai Ogura, from team Trackhouse, put his Aprilia ahead by a minimum margin of 0.005s, demonstrating the parity of performance between the competitors. Marco Bezzecchi, from the official Aprilia team, raised the level of the competition even further by recording 1m45s023, opening a considerable advantage over the rest of the field. However, Ducati’s strength prevailed in the later part of the session.
Consolidação of the Italian force on the first day
The final phase of the session highlighted the superiority of the Ducati, with five riders from the brand surpassing the Bezzecchi mark in quick succession. Di Giannantonio led this attack from Borgo Panigale’s team. Mesmo with attempts to improve by Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, none of them managed to mix with Ducatis who occupied the highest positions.
The championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi, finished in seventh place, while Jorge Martin jumped to eighth place at the end of the race. Alex Rins, from Yamaha, and Diogo Moreira, from LCR Honda, were the best representatives of their respective manufacturers. Eles finished in ninth and tenth place, respectively, closing the list of the ten fastest of the day.
