Fabio Di Giannantonio finished third in the Australian Grand Prix sprint at Phillip Island, completing a Ducati 1-2-3. The contest lasted 13 laps, but the VR46 rider’s route to the podium became complicated almost immediately when a gust caught him out on the opening lap and sent him down the order. Di Giannantonio recovered effectively and worked his way back into a podium position by the finish.

He then became involved in repeated exchanges with LCR Honda rookie Diogo Moreira. The Honda rider answered each time Di Giannantonio passed him, even when the Italian believed Moreira’s theoretical pace was slower. To avoid the two riders costing each other time, Di Giannantonio tried to signal that Moreira should stay behind. The attempt brought its own problem: strong gusts at Phillip Island nearly unsettled him and sent him off the bike while he was making the gesture. Di Giannantonio recounted the moment humorously, but it underlined how disruptive the circuit’s wind could be even away from the main overtaking action.

Di Giannantonio had particularly strong pace in the later stages of the sprint and believed a longer race might have brought him into a genuine fight with the Marquez brothers. He also felt Marc Marquez was managing his pace after the pitboard showed that Jorge Martin had retired. In Di Giannantonio’s assessment, their pace was broadly similar, leaving open the possibility that a longer-distance contest would have produced a very different battle from the one seen over 13 laps.