“I came into turn 2 very aggressively and it was difficult to stop the bike because of the slipstream” – Enea Bastianini

Enea Bastianini came close to the podium in the sprint race of the MotoGP Austrian GP. After starting from seventh place and losing several positions due to a mistake at Turn 2, the Ducati rider had to fight back to finish fourth, just over two seconds behind the top three.

The Italian admitted that his aggressive approach to Turn 2 cost him several positions: “My start was good and I was full of energy. I came into turn 2 very aggressively and even with the slipstream it was difficult to stop the bike. And after that I lost the rear a little, I went wide and lost a lot of positions. It’s so‘.

When asked if this was part of the learning process – to be more aggressive in the early stages of the race – Bastianini agreed, but admitted that he would have to take a different approach in the main race: “Yes, that can also be part of the learning process. But in the main race I have to do something different. Well, I’m happy with the race because I improved compared to Saturday morning and also Friday. I went back to my basic setup because I tried many solutions but nothing was going in the right direction. And in the end the race exceeded my expectations, without many mistakes – only on the first lap in turn 2. But otherwise it was OK. (…). I’m confident to drive a great race again in the long race.‘.

When asked how he managed front tyre pressure in a race where he had to fight his way back from the midfield, number 23 explained: “Especially on this track it can be a problem, but I tried not to stay closer to the other riders. I was always out of the slipstream on the straight and in a race like this that is key. But it is also better when you are alone like Pecco (Bagnaia)If you are behind, you need to think about it‘.

When asked what he could improve based on Bagnaia’s data, Bastianini replied: “I always have more front block than Pecco, and on this track more than on other tracks because we have to brake a lot. I changed the setup a little bit for that so that the front doesn’t lock. I think compared to Pecco the braking point is the most difficult; compared to Jorge (Martin) is sector 3, it is very fast in the two left turns. I have to try to find a compromise. On Saturday I didn’t have much front-lock and let’s see if I can take a step in that direction on Sunday‘.