Both Pecco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini had a Japanese Grand Prix to forget. Both Ducati riders, who will be teammates next year, spent the entire race battling Fabio Quartararo for eighth position. Finally, the Italian led by Gresini crossed the finish line in ninth place, once again losing points in the general standings.
“It was a difficult weekend from the beginning,” said the Italian at the press conference ahead of the Thai GP, which takes place this weekend in Buriram. “I made a mistake on Friday, and that made it very difficult for me. Saturday was all wet, qualifying wasn’t easy for me and I crashed… We come to another circuit, but the conditions will be similar to Saturday at Motegi. But we are ready to start working and get a better result.”
Of those who still have mathematical options to win the title, Enea is the only one who doesn’t know what it’s like to ride on the Chang circuit with a MotoGP. “It’s my first time on this circuit with a MotoGP bike, but I don’t think it will be that difficult,” he said confidently. “We have one more session compared to Motegi [where FP3 and FP4 were cancelled], and that gives me an advantage. In any case, we have to give our 100%.”
The Ducati rider pointed to poor qualifying as the main cause of his poor result in Japan. “Qualifying is very important, especially in MotoGP. All the bikes are very similar in terms of performance. It was already seen in the Motegi race, that me, Fabio and Pecco had a similar pace and it was difficult to overtake.”
But, despite the poor result achieved in the country of the rising sun, the former Moto2 world champion does not feel pressured to cut points. “For me it doesn’t change anything, because I’m not that close to Fabio. I have to keep trying to do my best in every session, and then we’ll see where we finish the year. I don’t feel pressure about it.” ‘The Beast’ arrives in Thailand 49 points behind Quartararo .
When it was suggested to him that his problems at Motegi could stem from the tyres, Enea turned it down. “The Michelins go very well in the wet, but we have to make some modifications to adapt to the conditions. When I went out on the track in Motegi qualifying I was behind other riders and had very little visibility. We’ll see how that situation occurs in this grand prix. But the sensations I have with the Michelins are very good”.
They also asked him about the recent case of Arón Canet, who reported having been discriminated against for his tattoos . “I am not able to understand it,” Bastianini declared. “Arón is a very fast driver. The image is important for some brands, but he is a great person. We were teammates in 2017 and I think that this situation is something negative. For the future something will have to be done, because he has the potential to go up to MotoGP with good prospects”.
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