Di Giannantonio reflects on lessons learned after beating Marc Marquez in Brazil
Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marc Marquez put on a clinic for hard, but fair, wheel-to-wheel racing at the Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday, and the Italian rider has detailed what he learned from getting the better of the seven-time MotoGP world champion.
As Marco Bezzecchi raced off into the distance at the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix, all of the action seemed to come behind as Jorge Martin, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marc Marquez scrapped it out for a spot on the rostrum.
It was Martin and Di Giannantonio who prevailed until the end, with Marquez still on the hunt for his first Grand Prix podium of the 2026 MotoGP season. The VR46 star’s P3 also marked Ducati’s first podium of the year in the longer format.
Not many riders get past a seven-time premier class champion like him in a straight fight. So Di Giannantonio’s result stood out — even more so considering that Marquez had beaten him to win Saturday’s Sprint race.
Fabio Di Giannantonio breaks down his approach to Marc Marquez after P3 at the Brazilian GP
Speaking to the media after his podium finish, Di Giannantonio reflected on what he took away from that battle, noting how studying Marquez up close gave him a clear picture of what makes the Spaniard so difficult to race against.
“Marc is very precise; he knows exactly when to use his energy and where. He manages his effort really well throughout the lap,” he said, via La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He’s always pushing, but he has incredible control over the bike, especially during those slightly riskier manoeuvres he often pulls off, even when riding alone.
The Italian also pointed out a specific strength Marquez seems to have in left-hand turns. “And then he’s definitely got something extra on the left-handers. I’m trying to work out how he does it, but it’s not easy. Let’s just say I’ve picked up a lot of ideas.”
The VR46 rider also spoke about what it meant to him personally. Going toe-to-toe with someone of Marquez’s calibre and coming away with a positive result was more than just points—it was validation that all his hard work was paying off.
“Yesterday he came out on top by winning the race, but today I did, by finishing on the podium,” Di Giannantonio added.
“Winning the race is much better! Still, I’m happy because battling it out with such a strong and experienced rider is a real challenge, and you learn a lot from it.”
Marc Marquez left fuming after Fabio Di Giannantonio got the better of him at the Brazilian GP
Factory Ducati’s troubles continued in Brazil, as they dropped to fifth in the teams’ standings with 44 points. Meanwhile, Aprilia moved into first place with 101 points off the back of Bezzecchi’s consecutive Grand Prix wins.
After crossing the line in Goiania, Marc Marquez was clearly frustrated. MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson pointed out that he can’t recall seeing the 33-year-old show such emotion after a tough race.
Francesco Bagnaia also had another weekend to forget. He crashed out while running outside the top ten and has contributed just 10 points to Marquez’s 34 so far this season.
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