MotoGP Portugal J2, Enea Bastianini (Ducati/Q1-S6): "it was a missed chance, I know I could have done better"

After overcoming the specter of a difficult weekend at Portimao last year, marked by a fall and a long recovery, Enea Bastianini displayed mixed feelings. Although he enjoyed finishing the Sprint Race, a sixth place left him feeling unfinished, the result of a blunder at the start ruining the advantages of his pole position on the starting grid.

« I accidentally deactivated the front lowerer at the start, believing not to have hired him, which disrupted my race, " explain Enea Bastianini. " The pace was there, but this initial error affected my performance. Nevertheless, it shed light on our strong and weak points, defining our areas of improvement for tomorrow. Am I the favorite for the long race? This year, we shine more in sprints and in qualifying thanks to the soft tires. Although we still have a way to go in the distance, a podium remains possible."

Enea Bastianini also discussed his progress since his last pole start in 2022, highlighting a strong preference for maximizing rear grip, a strategy paying off for his confidence. “ I have already shown good performances in qualifying in Qatar. Now I favor exploiting the rear grip, which works well for me."

**Enea Bastianini: “ for Sunday, Marc Marquez seems to have an advantage here, with a little more than the others »**

As for the favorite for victory on Sunday, bastianini has no doubt: “ Marc Marquez seems to have an advantage here, with a little more than the others. We will try to close this gap. Today was a missed chance; I know I could have done better. Starting from the rear complicates getting back up, especially without the lowerer, which makes driving more demanding."

Refusing to speculate on the error of Marc Marquez in qualifying also linked to the front lowerer, bastianini evaded the question about pilots' opinions regarding electronic aids. Finally, when asked about his difficulty in keeping up with the pace of bagnaia, he admits: “ Pecco had a clear field ahead, without traffic. Behind, it's harder; we struggle to brake, the tire pressure rises, and we have to ward off attacks."