VR46 MotoGP rider Fabio Di Giannantonio says “I always feel small among the greats”, having emerged as Ducati’s leading runner in the early races of 2026.

The one-time MotoGP race winner has felt much happier on the GP26 compared to last year’s bike, finishing sixth in Thailand and third in Brazil.

The latter result came after an intense battle with seven-time world champion Marc Marquez on the factory team GP26, with the pair also locking horns in the Goiania sprint.

Ahead of this afternoon’s sprint at the United States Grand Prix, Fabio Di Giannantonio is Ducati’s leading rider in the standings with 37 points in fourth.

However, speaking on Friday after ending practice inside the top three despite a crash, Di Giannantonio struggles to see himself as equal to some of his rivals.

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“I always feel small among the greats,” he said on Friday.

“Marc is a legend, one of the strongest champions in history, while I’ve won far less.

“For me, it’s great to be there fighting, but you have to be professional and put it all in perspective; in fact, as early as Monday [after Brazil] I started thinking about the present.

“That’s all in the past now.”

Practice crash was a technical issue, but not a Ducati one

Di Giannantonio was one of nine riders to fall during a baking Practice on Friday afternoon at the US Grand Prix.

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He later explained that the crash was a result of a mechanical issue, but says it was nothing to do with the Ducati.

“The failure is mechanical in nature, but not related to Ducati,” he said.

“We’ve been working on it for years, yet sometimes it resurfaces and we don’t fully understand why.

“That said, I want to maintain a positive mindset. Everything is going well.”

Di Giannantonio ended Friday 0.187s off the pace set by Marc Marquez and goes into Saturday morning’s qualifying chasing his second consecutive pole.

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VR46 team-mate Franco Morbidelli will face Q1 after crashing on Friday afternoon and ending the session in 20th.

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