Di Giannantonio to Undergo Surgery After Thai GP, Miss Final…
Fabio Di Giannantonio confirms he will miss the final two rounds of the season to undergo shoulder surgery after the…
VR46 Racing officially announced on Monday that Andrea Iannone will replace Fabio Di Giannantonio at this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. It will be the Italian’s first MotoGP weekend since 2019.
Di Giannantonio will be stepping aside to undergo surgery on his left shoulder, an injury he sustained during the Austrian GP in mid-August.
“It’s a bummer to stop now, as I’m feeling better than ever this season. I think I’m at my best,” he admitted following a standout fourth-place finish at the wet-weather Thailand GP.
Iannone’s return has an undeniable air of irony, as it was in Malaysia in 2019 where he last competed in MotoGP before testing positive for Drostanolone. The ensuing four-year ban from competitive racing severed his Aprilia contract.
With the ban lifted earlier this year, the 35-year-old Italian joined the World Superbike Championship paddock as a member of the Go Eleven Ducati team claiming a race win in Aragon and finishing the season in eighth overall.
For Iannone, his return to MotoGP offers a platform to reconnect with the premier class he left under such complicated circumstances.
“The timing is unexpected, but the opportunity to get back on a MotoGP bike is everything I’ve been working toward,” Iannone shared in a brief statement.
His return to VR46 comes as a result of Ducati’s wider roster reshuffle, with the decision reportedly swayed by VR46 team owner Valentino Rossi.
Ducati considered multiple candidates to fill in for Di Giannantonio, yet Rossi’s preference has brought Iannone back to the fore. The Italian might extend his MotoGP stay even further should he get the call for the season finale in Valencia as well.
For Fabio Di Giannantonio, priority now is on full recovery. “It’s very important to be fully recovered for the first test at Sepang in February,” he stated. “That way, I will meet the deadlines set by the doctors.”
