The VR46 MotoGP team has announced that Fabio Di Giannantonio successfully underwent surgery on his dislocated left shoulder, an injury sustained during a practice crash at the Austrian Grand Prix in August.
Di Giannantonio, a one-time grand prix winner, dislocated his shoulder in a high-speed accident at the Red Bull Ring, which forced him to miss the Austrian GP. Since then, the shoulder risked further dislocation without surgical intervention, prompting him to end his 2024 season early at the Thai GP for the operation.
The surgery took place on Saturday in Rome and was performed by Professor Alessandro Castagna using arthroscopic techniques. The operation was deemed a complete success, and Di Giannantonio is expected to begin a three-month rehabilitation period.
The team is optimistic that Di Giannantonio will be fit for pre-season testing in February, where he will get acquainted with the factory-spec GP25 he will ride next season.
The VR46 team stated, “As expected, Fabio Di Giannantonio underwent surgery this morning to stabilize the injury to his left shoulder, a consequence of the high-speed crash that occurred last summer at the Austrian GP. The operation was a complete success, and recovery times are estimated at approximately three months. Good luck to Fabio and a hug from the entire team for a speedy recovery.”
In the meantime, Andrea Iannone has stepped in to fill Di Giannantonio’s spot in the VR46 squad. Valentino Rossi has given Iannone, a former MotoGP winner who has been out of the series since 2019 due to a four-year doping ban, another opportunity to race. It remains uncertain whether Iannone will participate in the final round of the championship, which has yet to be announced following the cancellation of the Valencia GP due to severe flooding in the area.