Fabio Di Giannantonio was fastest in MotoGP Practice at the Qatar Grand Prix, even though his VR46 Ducati is giving away around 10 km/h to the factory Ducati bikes on the straights. The Italian beat Marc Márquez by 0.142 seconds at Lusail, turning a serious top-speed weakness into a session-leading result.

Di Giannantonio discussed the problem on Thursday, describing a lack of straight-line speed that is particularly costly at a circuit with one of the fastest straights on the calendar. Pablo Nieto, head of the VR46 Racing Team, said a deficit of this size could correspond to approximately 30 horsepower. That figure is an estimate of the performance gap implied by the missing speed, not a measured output figure for the engine.

VR46 and Ducati are investigating the cause together. Nieto said the team is considering several possibilities, including aerodynamics and Di Giannantonio’s riding position, while stressing that there is still no precise explanation. The loss is most pronounced when the bike reaches fifth and sixth gear, especially in the final part of the straight. Away from that section, Nieto said, the situation is more manageable.

The setting makes the weakness particularly visible. Qatar held the MotoGP speed record until Jorge Martin broke it at Mugello this year, and Lusail’s long straight leaves little room to hide a shortfall in acceleration or terminal speed. Ducati is therefore also involved in understanding the issue, which Nieto described as important for both the VR46 operation and the manufacturer. He added that the situation remained under investigation during Friday’s running and that he could not yet identify the exact reason.

Di Giannantonio’s recent results have not fully reflected his pace. He has scored two Sprint podiums in the second half of the season, but his most recent Sunday finish inside the top six came at Silverstone. His Practice performance in Qatar nevertheless shows that the speed deficit has not prevented him from producing the fastest single-session lap so far.