Fabio Di Giannantonio outlines MotoGP season-ending surgery date

VR46 Ducati MotoGP rider Fabio Di Giannantonio has revealed when he will have season-ending surgery on the left shoulder he dislocated earlier this year.

The one-time grand prix winner dislocated his shoulder at the Austrian Grand Prix in August and had been contemplating surgery on it for some time.

Ahead of the Australian GP, Di Giannantonio announced that he would wrap up his 2024 season after this weekend’s Thai GP in order to have the operation and recover in time to begin testing the GP25 in February.

On Thursday at Buriram, he revealed when he will go under the knife.

“Let’s say, on Saturday of the weekend that is coming I’m going to do the surgery on the shoulder,” he said.

“Till that moment I’ll try to enjoy, let’s say, this free time even if I really wanted to be in Malaysia.

“But let’s say at the moment I would love to not see racing because I don’t want to see a thing that makes me sad.

“But I’m quite sure I will make my girlfriend angry because we will see every practice, every qualifying, every race or every class.

“So, I think it will be another weekend of watching motorsport like old times.”

Di Giannantonio had never been forced to miss any races due to injury in his grand prix career prior to this year’s Austrian GP, leaving him with a “sad feeling” having to end his 2024 season after Thailand - not least after coming close to a first podium of the campaign in Australia.

“For sure, it’s been an amazing weekend for us in Phillip Island,” he noted.

“Has been fantastic to be back in the level we showed till the crash in Austria this year.

“So, I’m super happy and proud about this little comeback. But also a bit of a sad feeling at the moment because it has never happened for me to end the season early or to miss a few races for injury or something in my career.

“So, it’s a strange feeling, but also I’m fully motivated to do a good job this weekend.

“I want to give the maximum result to the team and for me to end the season in a good way.

“It would be amazing honestly to finish the season with a podium, also because I’ve been missing it a bit this year.”

No updates on stand-in

Di Giannantonio’s place at the VR46 team for the remaining rounds of 2024 has been a hot topic, with it looking increasingly likely that Andrea Iannone could make a comeback.

The 2016 Austrian GP winner’s MotoGP career was effectively ended at the end of 2019 when he was found guilty of doping, which earned him a four-year competition ban.

That ban expired this year, allowing him to race in World Superbikes with GoEleven on a Ducati - on which he managed a race win.

But Di Giannantonio wouldn’t get drawn into any of the speculation and insists nothing has been decided yet as VR46 promised him he’d be the first to know when his replacement had been lined up.

“There are for sure a lot of rumours for sure because it would be good news,” he said.

“But, at the moment I don’t know anything because the team promised me I would be the first person to know but at the moment I still don’t know.

“I don’t know about who would be nice to see on the bike. Honestly, from a rider’s point of view you’re never going to want to see a rider on your bike because it’s your bike, your baby.

“But also in case the team has to put someone, I think it’s good also for the team and the sponsors to have a bike on track.”