One of five rookies making the jump up to the premier class in 2022, Fabio Di Giannantonio is set to line out with Gresini Racing MotoGP. Get to know the Italian a little better below.
Hailing from Rome, Di Giannantonio was on the European racing scene as early as 2013, at the age of 15. He finished that season in the European Moto3™ Championship in 9th before switching his attentions on making an impression in the Red Bull Rookies Cup the following season, finishing 8th with a season best performance in Brno giving him his first taste of podium success. A second rostrum soon followed in Aragon, and by 2015, he was preparing for a tilt at the title.
Three podiums in his first four races provided the perfect launchpad before he took his first Rookies Cup victory at the Sachsenring. He didn’t have to wait long for a second, as he made it back-to-back wins at Brno. Despite another victory in the season finale, Di Giannantonio fell short of the Championship, losing out to Bo Bendsnyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team).
While he may not have pocketed the Championship, he certainly caught the eye as he was quickly snapped up by Gresini Racing for the 2016 Moto3™ season, as well as debuting with the side at the Valencia GP. Di Giannantonio took some time to get used to his new Honda, failing to crack the top 15 in the first five races of the season. However, it was a different story for the sixth race of the season, storming to a P2 finish in Mugello and kickstarting a memorable season for the rookie Italian. Two more podiums followed, as well as a glut of top six and top ten results as he finished sixth in the Championship.
It was more of the same in 2017, as five podiums and generally consistent performances saw him secure a commendable fifth place Championship finish. In 2018, Brno proved a happy stomping ground once again as he stood on the top step in Moto3™ for the first time. That result helped make up ground in the title race but despite a second victory in Thailand to add to four other podiums, he finished 42 points behind Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing).
Di Giannantonio’s ascent through the motorcycling world continued as moved to Speed Up Racing in Moto2™. Two podiums, in Brno and Misano, helped him claim ninth in the Championship and the Rookie of the Year crown. Hopes of progression were dented in the shortened and Covid stricken 2020 season as form abandoned the intermediate class sophomore, though podiums in Catalunya and Aragon offered some consolation as he slumped to 15th place in the Championship. A last lap crash while leading in Valencia, the penultimate race of the season, summed up the Italian’s year.
A switch to Kalex machinery came in 2021 with the Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 team, and his time with them got off to an emotional start. A P3 finish in the season opener in Qatar came just a short time after the death of his mentor Fausto Gresini. It was a performance he dedicated to the motorcycle racing icon, and he soon followed it up with his first victory in the class at the Spanish GP.
Prior to the German GP, it was announced that Di Giannantonio’s journey with Gresini Racing would continue at the sport’s elite level, having signed on for the 2022 season with a Ducati and Enea Bastianini awaiting the 23-year old. It’s a move that’s looked on the cards for a long time, and we cannot wait to see what the Roman rider can do next year!