Fabio di Giannantonio rues start issue after missing podium in Americas GP sprint
The VR46 rider could never fully recover from his poor start in the half-distance race at Austin.
Fabio di Giannantonio says VR46 needs more time to improve the electronics on his Ducati after missing out on a potential podium in the Americas Grand Prix sprint due to a slow start.
Di Giannantonio excelled in qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas on Saturday to book a spot on the front row, lapping just a tenth slower than polesitter Marc Marquez.
However, his chances were severely compromised by a sluggish launch, as he dropped from second on the grid to seventh on the opening lap.
The Italian then spent much of the race battling with his VR46 teammate Franco Morbidelli and the Yamaha of Fabio Quartararo, ultimately finishing fourth and seven seconds off the rostrum.
But the 26-year-old suggested that the podium may have been within reach, as he found that his pace was similar to third-place finisher and factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia.
Having concluded that his poor getaway was down to electronics rather than a rider error, di Giannantonio told MotoGP.com: “I think we have to improve starts.
“I’m happy about my performance in the start because we saw the data and everything, we analysed it [and] I’m doing all the maneovures right.
“We just need some more time to put better the electronics side of the bike. Som a pity for the start.
“It was not possible after the start to already be with the front guys, with Marc, Alex [Marquez] and Pecco. It caused some problems with the guys in the back.
“Apart from this, I think we have done a good race. I think we had the pace to be with Pecco, but also with Alex, without all the overtakes and all these things.
“But I have to be happy, the best result, front row this morning after Q2. Seems like we are keeping the momentum going and we are going better and better.”
Di Giannantonio’s teammate Morbidelli took the chequered flag in fifth place after fending off Yamaha rival Quartararo.
Morbidelli said his pace was affected by an undisclosed issue, but he was content to secure another top-five result after finishing on the podium last time out in Argentina.
“Iit was a really tough sprint. I had problems I didn't have this morning [in qualifying],” he explained.
“So I struggled throughout the whole race to handle the lack of feeling ahead and there was a nice battle between Diggia, [Pedro] Acosta and Quartararo.
“Finally a P5, which is okay, which is good. It's not a bad result. We will try to do better tomorrow.”
