Enea Bastianini presented himself for the first time in the preliminaries of a MotoGP season wearing the costume of a factory rider. A red Ducati coat to be exact, which he himself recognizes as being a new responsibility. To make it clear to him that he is arriving as the captain's roommate, Pecco Bagnaia opted for the No. 1 reigning World Champion on his bike. The “Bestia” will thus have many challenges to overcome to show itself to its advantage in 2023. But it is neither Bagnaia nor its new environment that makes it procrastinate. These are rather the sprint races whose philosophy goes against its major quality: saving tires to score your opponents at the end of the game of a normal Grand Prix...
Enea Bastianini has demonstrated it many times in his career, he is the man of the second half of the race. With the introduction of the sprint version of the competition in 2023, he must adapt. And he recognizes that it will be a leap into the unknown: “ it all depends on the tires. If Michelin brings a new tire, it could change my riding style » he said. But the real subject is this for “Bestia”: “ there is now the sprint race and it is different. In some races, you may use a different tire than the one on Sunday. My style is to be conservative at the start, then push more and more. I need to change because this might be a problem in the sprint. I will try to change that ».
It will be remembered that the sprint races, a big novelty for this 2023 vintage, will take place over half the distance of the Sunday race on Saturday afternoon. It will therefore be necessary to be explosive from the start, and many see this race format as tailor-made for a George Martin. A new version of the meeting which will increase the number of starts in the season from 21 to 42. An additional physical and moral constraint for the protagonists, but it will be there for everyone: “ I always try to improve during the winter and also try something different. The training was the same, so it's important to be 100%. I trained by doing motocross, where you have to be concentrated, otherwise it becomes dangerous ».
Enea Bastianini: “ I have to protect my body for the season, the first sprint will be an endurance test for everyone«
A final mention which means that pilots will now be more attentive to the risk of injury. Enea Bastianini seems to confirm this by specifying: “ If I had trained too hard, I might have fallen. I have to protect my body for the season. The first sprint will be an endurance test for everyone, so it takes a different approach, but it applies to all drivers equally ».
Speaking of pilots, he logically mentions one: “ the big difference is that Pecco Bagnaia is MotoGP world champion, not me ", said bastianini who couldn't help but smile. “ Pecco was already very fast when we competed against each other on the pocket bikes and later in MiniGP and Moto3. It's a talent and now he is also the fastest pilot in the world. It's a pleasure to fight with him and try to win for the next few years ».
That being said, he addresses topics that seem to put him in his comfort zone: “ the first meeting with the 2023 bike was good. The biggest difference for me was the move from the 2019 bike to the 2021 bike, it really was a completely different world. That’s when I understood the potential of Ducati”.
He also had the opportunity to get to know new faces in his professional entourage. For bastianini, the first impression was positive: “ I have a new team leader, Marco Rigamonti. The contact during the first try was good, we had a good start to our cooperation ". Then he finishes: “ problems may also arise during the season, so we must focus on our tasks and goals ". Despite all the concerns about the sprint races or the still unknown problems, the third in the last championship MotoGP assures: “ I'm not nervous, just motivated ».
