If Enea Bastianini left the three days of MotoGP testing at Sepang with a smile, it initially expressed relief. Coming from a Gresini team where he got along perfectly with a GP21, he arrived within the official team of the brand to climb on a GP23 without having gone through the GP22 box. A detail that is not one for a driver who must also come to terms with a new mechanic and find his place in a new organization. Fourth when leaving Malaysia, he nevertheless showed that his adaptation period was going well. But given the current level of competition, you have to be at 100% of your abilities to claim victory. A level that “Bestia” admits he has not yet reached.
Enea Bastianini had to control his nerves and show his great conviction in order not to lose his footing in his discovery of a GP23 which has not yet granted him all his favors. On speedweek, he thus recalls his difficulties at Sepang: “ I must say that the new bike is not easy to ride and didn't fit my style very well at first », reveals “Bestia”, third in the World Championship on a GP21 last year. “ I tried changing my style and trying different things, but I still couldn't be fast. So we started to work a little on the bike ».
« I also exchanged ideas with Pecco Bagnaia and in the end we had the same feeling. This made it easier to compare data and coordinate with engineers », added the newcomer to the factory team Ducati. " We found a solution on Sunday afternoon, and we were fast, both on a lap and in terms of pace. This is why I think we are at a good level. It's not 100% yet, but being pretty much where we were with the old bike is a good thing ».
Enea Bastianini: “ I would say we are at 70 to 75% at the moment«
Since he gets into percentages, he continues his evaluations like this: “ I may not be at 100% in Portimao, but we can reach 90 or 95%. I would say we are at 70-75% right now. We still have a lot to understand. The new bike has a lot of potential, but it is not easy to exploit it. We need to analyze the data with engineers in detail ».
On the other hand, he was reassured about an exercise that he will discover with his other MotoGP colleagues and which is the sprint race. Known to be a finisher over the length of a traditional Grand Prix, this competition does not seem made for him. But he also worked on the subject: “ in Malaysia, I was fast from the start. We started the sessions with worn tires and I wasn't very fast on them, but once I got the new tire my lap time was okay. So I don't think there will be any problem for qualifying or the sprint race. We probably fixed the problem », assures the Italian of 25 years
The starting drivers still have two days of testing at Portimao on March 11 and 12 before the first championship points of the season are awarded on the Algarve coast on March 25 and 26. In Sepang, Ducati placed seven of its bikes in the top 10, with the GP22s notably still up to date.
Ranking of MotoGP Test results at Sepang J3:
Combined ranking of the MotoGP Test at Sepang J1/J2/J3:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
