Fabio di Giannantonio: "The doctor already said this shoulder should be operated on"

After revealing he has an ‘80%’ risk of suffering further dislocations to his left shoulder, Fabio di Giannantonio endured a gruelling San Marino MotoGP weekend.

“My shoulder is painful, I am not at 100% and I am not riding naturally,” the VR46 rider said after finishing ninth on Sunday.

di Giannantonio then sat out Monday’s official test to rest the injury.

“The priority is the recovery,” he explained. “Tomorrow I won't be on the track and I will try to make the most of these two weeks [until Miano 2].”

Seven more rounds remain until the end of the season when a decision will need to be made on whether to undergo surgery.

“When I did the first medical check, the doctor already said that this shoulder should be operated on,” revealed di Giannantonio, currently eighth in the world championship.

“So theoretically yes [I’ll need surgery]. But we have to see because if we do a really good job with the muscles and everything, maybe I won't have any more problems and I can continue like this.

“But we have to wait for all the inflammation to clear, the liquid and all these things. So it will be a long process.”

di Giannantonio will remain at the VR46 team for the next two seasons when he will be upgraded to factory-spec machinery on a direct Ducati contract.