Enea Bastianini is one of the two big players absent from the start of the MotoGP season due to injury, along with Marc Marquez. Broke down by Luca Marini in distress in the first Sprint race in Portugal, he has been struggling ever since with a fractured shoulder blade. The injury did not require surgery, but scapula fractures are not easy to manage. Recovery times for this bone, which is constantly used during movements, are long and delicate. He missed Argentina and Austin, which he won last year. He will attempt his return at the end of the month in Jerez. The Spanish Grand Prix would therefore be his first opportunity to finally score points. As his opponents did not wait for him, we would be tempted to cross him off the list of title contenders this year. If his situation, from this point of view, is serious, is it nevertheless desperate?
Enea Bastianini, the factory driver Ducati, missed the second and third rounds of the 2023 season, as well as the first Grand Prix. He was injured during the first ever sprint race at Portimao when Luca marini hit him. A broken shoulder blade did not require surgery but held bastianini on the sidelines for the opening battles of the 2023 championship.
According to speedweek, the third of the last campaign while he wore the colors of the Gresini team, received the discharge from his doctors to go to the next Spanish Grand Prix. If it is confirmed that “Bestia” will be part of the factory workforce Ducati in Jerez, his ambition will be to at least open his points counter this year. He does not yet have any, which therefore already puts him 64 points behind the leader of the provisional general classification. Marco Bezzecchi.
Enea Bastianini returns to a championship where there are still 666 points to take
A delay that he should not be able to make up for immediately. His manager Charles Pernat, curbed the enthusiasm that this participation in the next Spanish Grand Prix could arouse by explaining that we will not see a Enea Bastianini truly competitive before Mugello. So, Jerez, But also Le Mans, will be taken as useful steps to get him back on track, both in terms of physical fitness and psychologically.
In view of the above, it seems certain that we should forget Enea Bastianini as a candidate for the crown this year. But considering other factors also encourages it to be kept on the favorites list. So, Pecco Bagnaia lost 45 points with his last two accidents, which puts him at 53 points in his teammate's ranking. Which, in such an intense championship and with a new format, is perhaps not so insurmountable.
It will be recalled that, in the old format, bagnaia, who is currently eleven points behind the leader Bezzecchi since his second place in the world championship, has converted 91 points behind in a lead of 17 points in the second half of the season last year. With the new era, thanks to half points in the sprint, a maximum yield of 37 points is possible per weekend. With 18 events still to play, there's still until 666 points to collect. For bastianini, nothing is therefore mathematically lost. But it's definitely time to get started.
