Fabio Di Giannantonio criticises Ducati over changes made to suit Marc Marquez

Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images

Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 believes that Ducati started to lose some of their strengths when they began making changes to accommodate Marc Marquez.

Marquez was untouchable in 2025, but things haven’t gone Ducati’s way early in 2026. Aprilia have come out of the gates fast, taking a clear step forward and looking like the team to beat so far.

The Spaniard dominated last year’s championship, wrapping up the title with five rounds still to go. But he’s only fifth in the standings heading into the Spanish Grand Prix this week, while Di Giannantonio is one spot ahead of him and sits as Ducati’s top rider so far.

Aprilia have made a fast start in 2026. Marco Bezzecchi leads the championship after three rounds with 81 points, just four ahead of teammate Jorge Martin. KTM’s Pedro Acosta is third on 60 points, followed by Di Giannantonio on 50 and Marquez on 45 for Ducati.

Fabio Di Giannantonio says Ducati lost their way trying to tailor their bike for Marc Marquez

Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images

Compared to the Ducati GP26, the Aprilia RS-GP has proven to be a better all-round package, particularly in how it handles corners. Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia has been dealing with tyre wear issues that only seem to show up during races.

MORE STORIES: Everything to know about Fabio Di Giannantonio from net worth to AS Roma

Di Giannantonio now points back to Ducati’s choice to shift their development focus toward Marquez last year as the starting point of their struggles. He feels that tailoring the Desmosedici around Marquez’s needs has actually taken away from what made the bike strong in the first place.