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Di Giannantonio will try to “annoy” Marquez and Bagnaia on Ducati GP25

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Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team © Motorsport.com
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Fabio di Giannantonio says he will try to “annoy” Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia when he is on the same equipment as the factory Ducati riders in MotoGP next year.

On the back of his impressive form astride a year-old bike in 2024, di Giannantonio has landed a contract directly with Ducati to ride its latest GP25 at VR46 next year.

The terms of the deal give him the same status that allowed Jorge Martin to win the 2024 MotoGP title with Pramac. However, while Franco Morbidelli also enjoyed the same privilege at Pramac this year, di Giannantonio will now be the only rider outside the official team to get a factory-spec bike and full technical support from the Borgo Panigale marque.

The Italian is hoping this will allow him to mix with former champions Marquez and Bagnaia in MotoGP next year, but thinks there won’t be so much pressure on him to perform at the top level.

“It’s a beautiful opportunity, that’s how it is,” he told GPOne. “This season on the GP25 will be a beautiful opportunity to become an even better rider.

“It’s a responsibility, it’s something I’ve been looking for all my life, but at the same time we are not the ‘reds’ today, so in reality we can still ‘play’. The responsibility of being in an official team is different, there you have to win, so I think that kind of responsibility will be especially felt by Pecco and Marc”.

“We can have a lot of fun, try to be the outsiders, we can try to annoy them, and this will also give me the opportunity to learn a lot from them by working on their same level. So I don’t see any negative aspects, but only a great opportunity. I’m sorry I didn’t get podiums this year, for the team, I would really like to do well to see them celebrate.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“As I often say, however, I don’t want to think about the results already, the goal must be to grow and enjoy the experience: enjoy the GP25, go fast, enjoy this moment for which we have sweated, enjoy the privileged relationship with Ducati, and in the end we will draw a line and see how it went!”

Di Giannantonio’s MotoGP career was seemingly coming to an end after 2023 as six-time premier class champion Marquez broke his contract at Honda to take the Italian’s spot at Gresini.

But that announcement coincided with an upturn in form for the Italian, leading to his maiden grand prix victory at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Finding a reprieve at VR46 this year, he outperformed his more experienced team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, finishing in 10th place in the riders’ championship.

But having picked up an injury on his left shoulder in Austria, he was forced to skip the last two races of the year in order to undergo a surgery.

The long recovery period meant he was also absent from the post-season test at Barcelona last month – and thus missed out on the opportunity to ride the new GP25 prototype.

However, having received positive feedback on the new bike from Ducati test rider Michele Pirro, who was able to draw a direct comparison between the two versions of the Desmosedici after racing the GP23 in Barcelona, the 26-year-old is eager to start the next chapter of his career in the Sepang test in February.

“I can’t wait to try it to personally understand what feeling it will give me,” he said. “From the amazed comments of those who tried the GP23 again [Pirro], to then get on the GP25 [in the test], I was surprised.

“Above all, I expect not to struggle so much in riding at the pace we have been used to this year. This in itself would already be a significant step forward. It would allow me to optimize my riding style, not having to focus on optimizing the package.

“Obviously I don’t take anything for granted, it is still a new bike and there will be a period of adaptation, but I certainly expect to start from an excellent base.”

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Red Bull ahead of schedule with new F1 wind tunnel

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Pierre Wache, Technical Director, Red Bull Racing, in the Team Principals Press Conference © Autosport.com
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Red Bull has said it is ahead of its initial schedule with the building of its new Formula 1 wind tunnel.

Red Bull Racing currently uses an outdated wind tunnel compared to its main rivals, with its facilities near Bedford being over 70 years old.

The wind tunnel has been labelled “a Cold War relic” by team boss Christian Horner.

While the team has been continually improving the tunnel in order to keep it up to date, its technical personnel sees it as a limitation in the long term.

F1 teams invest heavily in these facilities; McLaren has used Toyota’s wind tunnel in Cologne for years since 2010 but can rely on its own state-of-the-art version since the summer of 2023.

Aston Martin also invested in a modern tunnel, which gets a prominent place in its new Silverstone factory.

The Red Bull company has given the green light to build the new wind tunnel at the Red Bull Campus in Milton Keynes, with the work currently in progress and three months ahead of schedule.

“With the building work and afterwards all the new machines you never know when it’s coming, but we are ahead of the schedule at the moment,” Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache told Autosport.

Pierre Wache, Technical Director, Red Bull Racing, in the Team Principals Press Conference

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“We are three months ahead of the plans.

“The guys are doing a very good job, but you never know if you get any delays somewhere else. It is a big project.”

The new wind tunnel should be operational in 2026, meaning it can be beneficial to Red Bull for its 2027 challenger.

“Or maybe already help us later in the year [2026],” added Wache.

“It is the oldest wind tunnel in the sport. I even discussed it with Jos [Verstappen] the other day, that they already used this tunnel when he was there at Arrows,” Wache said.

“It is an old tool that we updated. There is plenty of newer stuff inside, but we have some limitations. We know those limitations and we try to work around them, but that is clearly more difficult when you are looking for a small delta.

“It is why we invest in the new tunnel We think we can have a benefit from the new one that we don’t have with the current model.”

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Super Eagles Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali Coping with Double Tragedy After Mother’s Passing

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Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has been dealt a devastating blow, announcing the loss of his mother just two months after his father’s passing. The 28-year-old athlete shared the heartbreaking news on social media, exposing the depth of his sorrow.

In a poignant post, Nwabali expressed his grief, stating, “RIP mom, worst year of my life already”.

This recent tragedy follows a challenging period for the young goalkeeper, who was granted leave from the Super Eagles camp last year to mourn his father’s death before their match against Rwanda. Now, with the loss of his mother, Nwabali faces an even more daunting chapter in his life.

Fans and fellow players have rallied around Nwabali, offering condolences and support during this difficult time.

Photo source: Instagram

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Stanley Nwabali, the goalie for the Nigerian Super Eagles, lost his mother this evening, less than three months after his father passed away.

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Stanley Nwabali, the goalie for the Nigerian Super Eagles, lost his mother this evening, less than three months after his father passed away.

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