Enea Bastianini is trying his best, but it won't be easy for him to get to the end of the Jerez Grand Prix. His physical condition - upon returning to the saddle after breaking his scapula - is anything but good and the times prove it. At this point, continuing without the possibility of being competitive is not an option on the table. Tomorrow morning he will take to the track for practice, then he will decide whether to race or not.
"It felt like the Monday test in Misano with the Panigale, not really good - admitted the Beast - But I'm happy because I'm back on my Ducati and it has been a good day, with a lot of pain. My situation is not good, my shoulder is not strong and it's difficult to do many laps and also to be fast.".
Do you think you can race tomorrow?
"Tomorrow morning, I have to see my situation and if it's like today or a little bit better, probably I can continue. But in the other case, we have to make the decision because to do some laps but slow in MotoGP, I'm here to bring some points. If it's not possible, it's necessary to stop."
Where do you have the biggest problems in riding?
“It's strange because I don't have any major problems under braking, but then when cornering it becomes difficult to lean the bike and when changing direction, if the bike wheelies a bit, the shoulder doesn't have strength. At the moment I'm at 60%. I didn't take any painkillers today, just pills, tomorrow I'll need something stronger (laughs)".
Will getting some rest help?
“The day after the Misano test, I was destroyed. Tomorrow I will have to understand how much pain I will feel. The track doesn't help me, turning right is very difficult, the only sector where I can do something extra is the last one because there are no braking sections that lead to right-hand bends".
Could you think about running only the sprint race and not the Sunday race?
“Hard to say, I'd like to continue throughout the weekend, but I also have to be realistic. After 6 or 7 laps I'm really tired and it will be difficult to think about finishing the race on Sunday. I'll also have to figure out if the sprint race will be worth it because only the first 9 get points and that's my goal".
Did you expect to be better?
“I hoped so, but in the end I'm in a similar condition to last Monday, as I already said. The plan is to do the session tomorrow morning and then decide. Today, for the flying lap, I speeded things up to set a time, but I can't be happy".
What's on the bright side?
“In the last few days I've improved a bit, the path is the right one. I'm not saying that I'll be fully fit at Le Mans, but I'll probably be capable and enlisted for Sunday's race as well (laughs). My target is to be 100% at Mugello”.