Fabio Di Giannantonio finished seventh in the Misano MotoGP race, which marked the 200th Grand Prix of his career. The two-time MotoGP race winner had qualified fourth and made a good start, but the opening corner disrupted his progress. He went off line while avoiding Fermín Aldeguer, lost positions and then had to deal with a brake problem that shaped the rest of his race.

The VR46 Racing Team rider said the brake lever was moving farther away from its normal position and becoming harder with every lap. That left him braking much earlier than intended and unable to use the motorcycle at its full potential. It also made normal overtaking attempts difficult, because he could not rely on the bike stopping where he expected.

Di Giannantonio estimated that he made only a couple of passes, taking advantage of errors by Luca Marini and Franco Morbidelli. Without those mistakes, he said, overtaking them would not have been possible. Rather than attacking, he had to manage a race in which every braking zone brought uncertainty. The extra tension also increased his physical workload and kept him from relaxing on the motorcycle.

He described the result as disappointing because the team had put together a package capable of a stronger performance. Di Giannantonio said he still gave everything, but could not extract the bike’s maximum potential. He reached the finish tired and frustrated; the supplied account does not identify the technical cause of the brake issue or report any repair details.