Enea Bastianini arrives at the third round of the season, which is to take place this weekend in Argentina, with the status of championship leader. The Italian driver has indeed had a very good start to the season with the Gresini team, with a first victory in the premier category won at the opening of the championship in Qatar, before a more difficult performance in the Indonesian rain of Mandalika, where he has everything even finished 11th.
While the Argentine GP is threatened by freight problems which are currently preventing the teams from having all their equipment on the Termas de Río Hondo track, Bastianini answered questions from journalists at a press conference. We transcribe his entire remarks here.
Enea, what is your reaction to the fact that there will be no on-track activity this Friday in Argentina?
« At the moment I don't have a motorbike, and I don't have much in my garage! I hope we will be able to hit the track on Saturday, even if it promises to be difficult for the mechanics. »
You finished in 11th position in Mandalika, but you still lead the championship. To what extent do you perceive this result as positive, knowing that it was your very first race contested in the wet and that you still managed to do well to reach the finish?
« It's true that it was a first, and I must say that the first part of the race was a bit of a disaster for me, but afterwards I gained confidence and I was able to make up positions. In the end I am satisfied with the race I led there, even if my result was not. Now we are in Argentina and I hope we will be quick there, even though I have never ridden a MotoGP here. The race promises to be difficult, but we are ready. »
It is still a track that you have appreciated in the past in other categories. Do you have any idea how the Ducati will behave on this track?
« I think the GP21 can be fast on this track, even if the grip level should not be very good as was already the case in Mandalika and Qatar. But I like these conditions, and therefore I have to stay focused, especially on Saturday where we will have to be efficient during the different practice sessions to hope to be fast in qualifying. »
Some people in the paddock have explained in the past that it would be better to move to two-day race weekends rather than three, as the calendar gets longer and longer. Do you think this weekend could be a good field for experimentation in this area?
« I think it's going to be different. We'll see. »
Images of the new Red Bull Ring chicane have just been revealed, and they are quite different from what was announced last year. What is your opinion about it?
« I was able to see this new chicane in fact, and I must say that I find it quite strange. I think the straight line is now too short! But we will see what it will be like when we get there, even if I find that this arrangement is more suited to F1 than MotoGP. »
You were in Indonesia two weeks ago, and now here you are on the other side of the world in Argentina. Do you have any tips for effectively coping with jet lag?
« We are in MotoGP, which is a world championship, so I have to adapt my lifestyle. For me it's not really a problem, because I always have melatonin in my bag, and it helps me a lot to adapt and keep going. »
After your victory in Qatar you said you were surprised to be leading the championship. But in fact you are still the leader after two races. Are you starting to believe more in your title chances this season, especially seeing the official Ducati of Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller in difficulty?
« The championship is still very long, and we are only in the third round here in Argentina. My goal is to continue to fight at the front, in the top 5 I would say. Basically my goal is to really understand this bike, because it has a lot of potential, and I think it's incredible. We will see what we can do during the championship. »
Do you think that a manufacturer with more data on this track could benefit from the fact that there are only two days of competition?
« I don't know at the moment, we'll see what happens on Saturday. We will have to stay focused, because ultimately there will be very little time from one session to the next tomorrow. Without sufficient time it will also not be possible to make major changes to the bike, and it will therefore be more difficult to find the best settings. »
