Fabio Di Giannantonio believes that Marc Marquez has had a bit of bad luck at the start of the 2026 MotoGP season and gave his opinion on who’s been Ducati’s top rider through the first four rounds.
The Italian, who finished the race in Jerez just ahead of Marquez, was also voted by fans as the top Ducati rider across all four rounds so far.
He told Paddock TV: “We need to analyse one thing, that our bike is quite good now. We have just been a little unlucky. It’s not about that we are bad with speed or we can’t overtake. We can do it very well.”
However, the VR46 rider feels that Marquez has had his fair share of bad luck in the early stages of the 2026 campaign.
Speaking to reporters after the Spanish GP, Di Giannantonio was asked about how he views the current hierarchy within Ducati’s six-man roster.
Given his position as the top-ranked Ducati rider in the championship standings, it wouldn’t be surprising if he saw himself as their lead man. But Di Giannantonio doesn’t see it that way.
“Me, the best Ducati rider? I disagree. Marc Marquez is very fast like me, but unlucky here and there.
“Alex [Marquez] is coming back. I’m doing a good job, but I don’t like this title of best Ducati rider. I’m Fabio with the VR46 team: together we’re doing a great job. We’re third, but there are still a lot of races left.”
After a slow start to 2026 for Alex Marquez, he finally gave Ducati something to celebrate by taking their first win of the season at Jerez.
The result also made him just one of two riders to win at least two Grands Prix at Jerez since 2019 (Fabio Quartararo).
Di Giannantonio was quick to point out that there’s still work to be done, especially if he wants to catch up to the Aprilia riders ahead of him in the championship.
He pinpointed his feel for the front end as an area that needs attention, adding that engineers back in Borgo Panigale are already looking into solutions for him.
“The front end is the most important aspect for a rider,” Di Giannantonio disclosed. “It’s the basis for braking and corner entry, and the line is the approach to exiting. We’ve improved this year, we’ve made a step forward, but we’re still lacking something compared to our rivals.
“I was getting closer to Marco Bezzecchi because he made a couple of mistakes. But I asked a lot of the front end, and I was taking a lot of risks.
“As I said, I need to improve the front end’s effectiveness so I can brake hard on corner entry and feel the bike more. And not only that: my weak point is the start. We’re talking to Ducati, looking for a solution for me.”
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