Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team wrapped up the French Grand Prix with a solid points haul, as Fabio Di Giannantonio crossed the line in fourth place to maintain his standing inside the top three of the riders’ championship. Teammate Franco Morbidelli endured a tougher afternoon, eventually finishing fourteenth.
Starting from the front row, Di Giannantonio was immediately in the mix and applied consistent pressure throughout all 27 laps, mixing smart race management with well-timed overtaking moves. While a podium finish ultimately slipped out of reach, the Roman rider emerged as the highest-placed Ducati at the chequered flag. The result brings his championship tally to 84 points, keeping him firmly in third place in the overall standings.
It was a difficult Sunday for Morbidelli, who found himself buried in traffic after a tough start from the sixth row on the grid. The Italian-Brazilian rider gradually fought his way forward in the closing stages, though a late position loss saw him settle for fourteenth. He currently sits fifteenth in the championship with 27 points to his name.
Di Giannantonio reflected on a day where he felt the team had delivered everything they had. A last-minute setup change made in the morning warm-up paid off in the race, and he credited the crew for giving him a competitive machine. Sensing a gap to the leading group early on, he opted to prioritize consistency over an all-out chase. While missing the podium stings, holding onto third in the standings remained the priority, and he acknowledged there is still ground to make up on the front runners.
Morbidelli admitted the pace simply wasn’t where he needed it to be, spending much of the race stuck in traffic with limited room to maneuver. He pointed to the value of the data and mileage collected, expressing confidence that the team is moving in the right direction and that better results are within reach.
Team Principal Pablo Nieto called it a positive weekend overall, highlighting Di Giannantonio’s ability to be a consistent frontrunner in both qualifying and the race. On Morbidelli’s side, Nieto indicated the team may have found a setup direction worth pursuing ahead of the next round. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team heads straight to Spain for the Catalunya Grand Prix, set to take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from May 15th to 17th.
