MotoGP | Uccio: “I would have liked two GP25s, I don’t agree with Dall’Igna”

A stellar 2023 and a complicated 2024. In the current MotoGP the values ​​on the field change very quickly and the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team knows it well, having fought for the world championship last year and now, with the Desmosedici GP23, struggling to find the podium, especially with Marco Bezzecchi. But Valentino Rossi’s team does not lose motivation, on the contrary. They find a smile also thanks to Fabio Di Giannantonio, who joined the team this year and is a great revelation in the premier class.

In a crazy market that moves fast, the team captained by Alessio “Uccio” Salucci is still waiting to confirm the 2025 line-up, with Marco Bezzecchi going to Aprilia and the option to renew Say. What is clear, however, is that the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team will have a GP25 next year, the only official one that is not from the factory team. Motorsport.com spoke to Uccio at the Sachsenring in an exclusive chat about the market, short- and long-term future.

Last season was explosive, winter tests were good, but then 2024 turned out to be complicated…
“We’re a bit lost, especially on the Bezzecchi side… He’s struggling a lot, but it’s also true that this bike is very complicated and that the factories have taken a step forward. Maybe you expect something different that then doesn’t arrive. Bez he was coming from a really good moment with the GP23, then he found this difficult bike that made his life a little more complicated. We’ll see, the team is with him. He has no other worries, because he has already signed a very important contract with Aprilia, so I want something different from him because we can help him a lot, but it has to come from him, he has to believe in it more. We’re not even halfway through the championship, so we still have a lot of time to be able to demonstrate what we’re worth”.

It’s not all bad in 2024, because Di Giannantonio is going strong…
“In my opinion, Say he’s having a great championship. He’s always improving, coming from another situation in our team is not easy. At these levels you have to adapt to look for the maximum performance to look for the last two tenths. He’s going really strong, he was fourth in Assen, he’s always there and after the podium there he is. Say he came from a different situation, he didn’t even have a motorbike”.

Di Giannantonio represents the opening of VR46 to riders who are not part of the Academy. He is also the rider who is best interpreting the GP23, apart from Marquez. Did you expect these performances?
“Say It was a pleasant surprise in many ways, in terms of character, working method. I didn’t expect it to be like this, to be honest. I knew that one day the team would have to open its doors to non-Academy riders. The project is made for the guys, but the team is moving forward. We also talked about it a lot with Valentino and we were always very ready to be in shape to welcome this new thing, as we are doing with Say. It’s also a reason for personal growth, I’ve been used to working with pilots that I’ve known since they were kids, that I knew like the back of my hand. With Say instead it was a blank sheet that we are filling out together. He is behaving in an excellent manner, I would love to work with him in the coming years too”.

So the main goal is to renew Di Giannantonio…
“Yes, I would love to renovate. Let’s hope it happens in the next few days. There are many houses that want it now, but I wonder where they were last year. Now they have arrived and we will see what happens in the next few hours…

There’s also Marco’s place to fill…
“Yes! There’s also Marco’s spot to fill… We have to fill two! Now let’s do one thing at a time, then we’ll see.”

There would be Franco Morbidelli, the first driver of the Academy. Having him in the team would be almost a closing circle? We start with him and return to him to restart with a new season.
“I would love to! I care about him so much, so I would love to work with him and I’ve been saying this for a long time. Maybe next year could be the year it happens. Yes, we would give a chance to another boy from the Academy, but it’s still a long way off because there are so many things to fit together. I would love to, but let’s wait a few more weeks”.

Let’s stay in the market, because there is a good name in terms of investments: Lewis Hamilton. He is interested in entering MotoGP
“Good! If a character like Lewis Hamilton wants to make an investment like that, I’m very happy. At the moment we want to continue to manage the team and stay here, but in the future you never know, things can change.”

Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi are friends, we also remember the motorcycle and single-seater exchange event
“Great! Then they hear from each other regularly, Lewis is a bit part of Vale’s group, they cheer each other on. They hear from each other and I’m very happy about it”.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

This MotoGP is becoming a source of interest even from outside and is changing very quickly compared to the past. The market moves ahead, but they are not with the riders.
“There is a moment of calm with the signing of contracts, then comes a time when many are expiring, even the manufacturers. There were things that came together that caused all these negotiations. I haven’t lived for two months! But I’m happy, it’s part of the game and I’m having fun. We have a working group that knows how to manage things in the best way. When there are these types of interests and movements, the level rises. I did 25 seasons here and for a long time there were minimal changes that you only noticed within the team. In the last two years there has been a sort of revolution, Liberty Media has also entered, I see that these things generate well-being and interest”.

In all these market movements you have gained a great advantage by becoming a reference team and you will also have a GP25 next year.
“We have a super team and some awesome guys, we will never be a factory team because we don’t build bikes, but when the riders come they find a fantastic situation. Even Gigi Dall’Igna, who is a prominent person, compliments us on the management. In fact they chose us as the reference team, starting from 2025 because Pramac left, but Ducati had already chosen us for 2027 as the reference team, independently of Pramac. On the GP25 I don’t really agree with Dall’Igna, because we will have only one updated bike, while I would have wanted two like we have always done. But unfortunately or fortunately it is Ducati that decides, we will have one and we will make do with it. We will try to make it work in the best way, even if the other manufacturers are organized with four and we have three. But this will become even more unique because there will be two red ones and one of ours!”.