Bastianini is one of three rookies for the 2021 MotoGP season. He therefore got to know the category and his mount, a Ducati GP19 during six split days in Qatar, since he had the right, due to his beginner status, to do the Shakedown. Overall, he was narrowly beaten in this trio of hopefuls by Jorge Martin equipped in GP21. And he dominated his teammate Luca Marini. Ranked fifteenth, he gives his impressions. And they are good...
Enea Bastianini is a reigning Moto2 World Champion who made his debut in MotoGP with the Ducati GP19 of the Avintia team. He did well, he didn't fall, and without chasing the clock he ranked fifteenth. Serious work which will bear fruit when the start of the season begins, on the same circuit that he lapped during the tests, that of Losail.
« I had five good and positive days, it was nice to make my MotoGP debut »Comments bastianini. " At first the hardest part was doing several laps in a row because I was tired. Then I found the right way to ride the Ducati, I was fast and above all I kept a good pace for many laps, so I'm satisfied. We didn't attack the clock because it was planned for Friday. But we did a good job, I feel good with the team and with the bike. If all goes well we could have a good race » he assures.
It will be recalled that the Friday was marred by a sandstorm which made the track of the Qatar Grand Prix almost impractical. But what does he think of his mount? “ What impressed me was certainly the power and speed of the Ducati, not only compared to Moto2 but also to other bikes. On the negative side, I don't know, it's an aggressive bike and you have to find the right way to ride it. It's part of the game, I'm a rookie and I still have to understand a lot of things. We have room for improvement, I have to put Moto2 out of my mind. I felt very good with the tires, especially the soft tires at the front, while at the rear I can use both the soft and medium tires ».
Bastianini: “my feeling for the bike was positive from the start”
He adds : " my feeling for the bike was positive from the start. After just three days I gained confidence in the Ducati so I could start taking more risks. The biggest problem I had was when I let off the brakes. Since the tires are very different from Moto2, you can push a lot more and ride at higher speeds. I had to learn this and try to apply it ».
In recent years it has been observed that beginner riders have been able to quickly and excellently get used to MotoGP. fabio quartararo reached the podium seven times during his first season in the premier category, Brad Binder celebrated his first victory on his 2020 debut in the third race of the season in Brno. Do these remarkable results put more pressure on newcomers? “ No, the pressure is normal and part of the job ", replied bastianini. " At the beginning it is difficult to keep pace because all the drivers are very fast. But in the middle of the season I still want to be in the top 10, that's my goal », nevertheless realistically concludes the pilot of 23 years old.
MotoGP Tests Qatar 2: combined ranking
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
