MotorLand Aragon handed out a tough lesson on Saturday, but the damage stayed on the timing sheets rather than in the medical centre. Fabio Di Giannantonio climbed off his bike unhurt after an early crash, and he still holds fifth in the World Championship on 199 points.
Di Giannantonio Keeps His VR46 Aragon Sprint Momentum Alive
He qualified seventh with a 1’45.615, so he lined up on the third row with real intent. Furthermore, he latched onto the leading group straight away and ran inside the top eight.
However, the front tucked at a braking point on lap two and his afternoon ended early. He explained afterwards that the launch felt good, yet the feeling on the bike never fully arrived. Still, he walked away without a scratch.
More importantly, he left MotorLand encouraged. Ducati machinery looked quick all weekend, and he made no secret of wanting a Top 5 on Sunday. Therefore, the points gap ahead of him stays firmly in play.
Morbidelli Finds Positives in a Bruising VR46 Aragon Sprint
Franco Morbidelli faced a steeper climb. He qualified twelfth with a 1’45.919, a lap he rated highly despite a yellow flag that cost him a better slot on the grid.
Contact at Turn 5 on the opening lap then dropped him down the order. Nevertheless, he kept working and brought the bike home eighteenth, which moves him to sixteenth in the standings on 53 points.
Meanwhile, the speed was still there. He produced one of his strongest laps late in the race, and he pointed to that pace as proof the weekend is far from finished. Consequently, his Sunday plan is simple: nail the start, then fight for solid points.
Both riders now get a full-length Grand Prix at 2 p.m. local time to rewrite the story, and Aragon has a habit of rewarding riders who refuse to let a Saturday define them.
