The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team finished second with Fabio Di Giannantonio on Saturday at the Brazilian GP, securing their first Sprint podium of 2026. Franco Morbidelli was sixteenth.
Pole position and a Sprint podium: that sums up the Saturday for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in Goiânia, where Fabio Di Giannantonio – after taking the first pole of the season, and his first with the team – was close to the victory in the Brazilian GP Sprint. He completed the 15 laps-race in second place, earning the Tavullia-based team its first Sprint podium of the year. It was a more difficult Saturday for Franco Morbidelli, who finished in sixteenth place.
Saturday could not have started better for Di Giannantonio, who claimed the second pole position (1’17”410) of his career. It was a historic result for Fabio, who became the first rider to take pole on the Championship’s return to Goiânia and secured his first pole with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. Starting brilliantly from the front of the grid, the rider from Rome held the lead and set the pace for almost the entire Sprint. Only a small mistake prevented him from taking victory, as he finished second by just two tenths, securing the team’s first Sprint podium of the season. Di Giannantonio is now seventh in the World Standing with 21 points.
A more complicated Saturday for Morbidelli, who qualified fifteenth (1’17”815) at his home weekend. A difficult start from the fifth row in the Sprint forced Franco into a comeback ride. Despite the challenges, the Italian-Brazilian rider showed great determination over all 15 laps, crossing the line in sixteenth place. Franco is currently tenth in the World Standing with 8 points.
The Brazilian Grand Prix will conclude tomorrow with the main race, starting at 15:00 local time (-4 CET).
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“It was an almost perfect day! Taking pole position and then leading for almost the whole race was great. I’m just a bit disappointed about two mistakes I made that allowed my rival to overtake me. Still, I’m very happy with this first Sprint podium of the season. The performance is definitely there, we’re very fast, and my team is really excellent. Today’s plan was exactly what I did: have a good start and try to set the pace. Conditions changed a lot compared to this morning, the front grip was definitely lower in the Sprint, but I’m really enjoying this track. For tomorrow, the start will be important, but also choosing the right rear tyre. We’ll try again to have a strong race with a good pace.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“It was a Saturday with complicated qualifying and Sprint sessions. With new tyres, I don’t have great performance. Today in FP2 I felt good and had great potential, but when I got to qualifying I wasn’t able to get through Q1, so I started from fifteenth position. In the first laps of the Sprint I couldn’t do much; I set my best time on the final lap, similar to what happened in Thailand. The positive aspect is that my start today was better than in Buriram, and this is a step forward, and the pace came earlier as well. Then, during the Sprint, I made a mistake in the final corner, but I was fast, even if it was too late. For tomorrow’s race, we’ll try to make some setup changes.”
