2023-08-23 16:15:04
The Austrian weekend was one of the overwhelming domination of I’m sorry Bagnaia. Realizing un hold-up total on pole position, the races and the best times, the Ducati #1 rider overshadowed his opponents, but also his teammate.
Thirteenth in the sprint at 18.8, then tenth in the long race at 20.7, Aeneas Bastianini appeared disappointed at the end of the weekend, he who only felt encouraging performances in practice before losing his feelings in the moments that mattered most.
“During the race something was wrong”, he lamented after the 28-lap event. “It was difficult, especially at the start where I had a problem with my front holeshot device. It was solved at the end of the first lap, but the rear tire was a disaster for the whole race, impossible to open the throttle. I skated the whole race.”
“My tire drop came after three laps. It was very, very strange for me. Compared to this morning, the rear tire was completely different. the last ten laps, the bike was skating in a straight line like in the rain”, he described. “Yesterday too, during the race, it was quite similar, but [vendredi], yesterday morning and this morning it was fine. Something has changed for both races and we don’t know what it is.”
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Even though he evolved in the peloton, where big fights took placeBastianini was in no way satisfied with the six points pocketed. “I’m not happy because my goal wasn’t this, it was higher!” he cursed.
It is true that the third man in the 2022 championship was only a shadow of himself, while tire management and limit switches are generally his strong point. But in this specific case, he feels he has encountered a real problem rather than sinned by his own weaknesses.
“We destroyed them, clearly”, he explained about his tires. “I don’t know why. Michelin is looking into it. The conditions were really bad so there was something, but I can’t say if it came from our settings or if it was a problem with the tyre. I just know it didn’t work right away, although obviously I managed to push more in the first four or five laps, and after that there was a drop. That’s the case everyone, but I really felt it a lot. It never happened to me to finish the race in these conditions.”
Different handling than other Ducati riders
Regardless of this tire problem, Bastianini can only see that he cannot compete with the prowess of his teammate. It must be said that he has several disadvantages, which work against him. On the one hand, his lack of experience as a factory rider, a status he obtained this year, then his long absence after being injured in the first sprint race of the season. All this did not help him adapt to the GP23, which was very different from the 2021 model he was driving previously and less in line with his driving.
When it was pointed out to him that Bagnaia also had to work on the bike this year before reaching this level, the #23 pointed out: “He was in any case more advantaged because this bike corresponds more to his characteristics than to mine. He must have had to adapt because he too came from a different bike from the one he currently rides, but for my part, I have to find an even different way.”
Enea Bastianini’s best result at this stage is eighth place, both in the sprint and in the long race.
Asked what could be positive about his bike, he answered, very frankly: “Surely there is something positive, but at the moment I don’t see it. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to say in the sense that I don’t have the situation in hand and I’m struggling to understand what I need. Well, I know what I need but it’s not as easy as it seems, my style is very different from that of other pilots and therefore I need to ‘other stuff.”
“I think I’m one of the few to have a very different entry, to enter very quickly until the middle of the corner, whereas almost all the other Ducati riders tend to stop the bike more. Let’s say I need to support up front. If I don’t have it, I find it difficult to get out well afterwards. I’m trying to adapt, but it’s too difficult.”
It’s the first time I’ve developed a motorcycle for myself. We’ll see if I have to make special requests to Ducati.
Aeneas Bastianini
“We made a lot of modifications, a lot, but it never changed anything. In my opinion, you first have to understand what the nature of the problem is, if it comes from the chassis, the engine, the engine brake… It “There are a lot of variables. Until the situation is clear, we can’t make changes and move forward.”
“I realized it right away, from the test in Malaysia”, specified the Italian driver. “I need time. Obviously, I’ve never done development, it’s the first time I’ve developed a bike for myself. We’ll see if I have to make special requests to Ducati. For the moment , I prefer to try to adapt with the settings, but if I can’t find a solution I will need support.”
Having played half the championship so far, five Grands Prix since returning from injury at Mugello, Enea Bastianini scored 24 points, compared to 157 for Pecco Bagnaia over the same period. Does his sidekick’s dominance make him motivated or dejected? “Morally shot, no”, he asserted. “I’m sure of what I can do, I have no doubts. It’s about getting it all together because right now we seem to be swimming against the tide, there’s never a easy situation, there is always something. I’m waiting for my moment to come!”
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