VR46 MotoGP rider Fabio Di Giannantonio has explained where the 2026 Ducati is weak compared to rival bikes, following an underwhelming US Grand Prix.
Fabio Di Giannantonio scored a second successive pole position of the 2026 season last weekend at COTA, while Pecco Bagnaia was able to get the GP26 to the podium in the sprint.
But, as has been the case at all three rounds so far, that pace doesn’t carry over into the main race, with Di Giannantonio Ducati’s leading rider last Sunday in fourth and 6.972s off of grand prix winner Marco Bezzecchi on the Aprilia.
Ducati has just one grand prix podium to its credit in 2026, after its 88-race streak was snapped in Thailand at the start of March.
Aprilia has emerged as the clear favourite in the early stages of the year, while KTM has been strong in Pedro Acosta’s hands.
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Why is the GP26 not performing well in races?
Speaking after the US Grand Prix, Di Giannantonio explained that the Ducati is limited on the front-end, which is in turn forcing too much work to be done on the rear and leading to excessive tyre wear.
“When I was fourth, I was gaining a lot in the first sector because our bike is very agile and I was able to push, so much so that I was destroying my hands,” he said.
“But when it comes to making the bike do what I want, it becomes more difficult.
“The others can brake later, enter the corner under braking, and use the front to turn the bike, whereas we’re much closer to the limit and have to rely on the rear.
“With new tyres, the bike is perfect, but as soon as the rear grip starts to fade a bit, it can no longer support the front, and everything becomes more complicated.”
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Bagnaia had a similar tyre wear issue in the US GP, which saw him tumble down the order to 10th.
However, Marc Marquez’s pace was stronger in the second half of the race, continuing a trend that he displayed last season during his dominant run to a seventh world title.
Aprilia has a 32-point advantage in the constructors’ standings after the first three races, with Ducati holding onto second.
But KTM is only four points adrift of it, after Pedro Acosta was third in the US Grand Prix to add to his podium in Thailand.
Di Giannantonio remains Ducati’s leading rider in the championship in fourth, 31 points down on leader Bezzecchi.
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