Di Giannantonio ‘back fit’, Marquez ‘confident’ ahead of official Ducati debut

Di Giannantonio ended the recent two-day Portimao MotoGP Test unable to complete the final day following a crash which resulted in him suffering a concussion. 

The 24-year-old suffered a concussion after a big impact with the gravel, which he called ‘insane’ due to its size.

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But after making a full recovery ahead of this weekend’s season-opener, the Italian, who claimed a maiden pole during his rookie campaign at Mugello, is ‘charged up’ and ready to make an impact. 

"I’ve been feeling 100% fit for a few days now, and after the hit suffered in the test, it was important to get back in shape straight away," said the Gresini rider. "I’m charged up for Portugal and for the new race weekend format. 

"Portimao has always been a demanding track, so we’ll have to manage the energy well and get in the points straight away. 

"We’ll see then where we’re at in Argentina, on a track that it’s usually quite dirty at the start of the weekend: it will be important to be quick straight away and be less conservative."

On the other side of the garage is new teammate Marquez, who enjoyed a very promising pre-season with the Ducati outfit.

A constant challenger for the top five in both Sepang and Portimao, Marquez appears primed to make an immediate impact despite the Spaniard confirming he still needs to ‘know the Ducati better’.

Marquez added: "Time to begin finally! We’re coming from a few days of very positive testing and I’m eager to test myself at the track. 

"I would have loved a few more days to get to know the Ducati better, but we’re at a good point already and the first three-four races of the season will be key to find the right automatisms and feelings ahead of the season. 

"There’s a sprint race to discover, so we’ll dive into these first two weekends with renewed confidence."