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A great performance was expected from Enea Bastianini after the amazing Sprint race yesterday at Barcelona. Instead, the long race proved once again to be not very profitable for the Ducati rider, who ended the season with a seventh place that left him with a bit of disappointment and in fourth place in the championship standings.
"I'm not very happy about today, because it was my last race with Ducati and it didn't go according to my expectations," Enea admitted, " I tried to do my best, but I suffered with the front from the start. In this last period I was strong in the Sprints, but I lacked something in the long races. Today I lost a lot of time in the early stages and with Aleix Espargaró and it was impossible to do more than the result I achieved."
A jarring note just like the beginning of his journey in the official Borgo Panigale team.
"How did I end this adventure? Badly! I will certainly take with me a lot of experience, which I have accumulated in these two years; a lot of suffering, but also a lot of joy: there has been a bit of everything. However, what will remain with me the most is the knowledge that I can do well in all the races," he noted, "This has always been a critical track for me in the last period, while yesterday I was fast, and that means we have the cards to do well everywhere. As for today's race, however, I did not expect to be in such a situation. As I said before, though, for some reason I don't know, I warm up the front tire so much and after two laps I can't ride anymore. It's a pity, because I could have fought for something more today, like yesterday's positions, and end the year on a high note. Let's say that my adventure in Ducati started badly and ended not well."
There is a lot of regret in the words of Enea, who, between the 2023 injury and this year's market movements, has not been able to find the right tranquility to be able to express himself at his best in these two years in red.
"I think I have not been able to show my real potential. That's for sure. And it was like that partly because of me and partly because of what happened to me, but I will pick up all this and take it with me," he assured, "Actually, third position didn't interest me that much. My goal this year was something else and next year's goal will be the same, which is to ride a new bike. I will stay focused trying to work harder than the others to find myself better placed."
Also adding to the Romagna rider's displeasure was Aleix Espargaró's race conduct, with his strenuous defense to protect Jorge Martin's third place.
"In my opinion, his behavior doesn't honor him, because it was his last race and maybe he could have gotten a better result. Maybe he could have been on the podium, or maybe I could have fought it out to the very end with him and Jorge. Instead, he preferred to carry on his friendship with Martin," he commented, "That may well be, but he still ruined the race of other riders. I think certain things should not happen in this environment."
However, the 26-year-old took it upon himself to honor Martin's title-winning season.
"Probably, he was very close to perfect in this championship and I'm really happy for him because he worked so hard to achieve this result," he said, "It's not easy, but he had an incredible management and I'm really happy for him. I hope to fight with him in the future as well, because he will be fast with the Aprilia as well."
Words of esteem like those that Bagnaia has spent several times towards Enea, who cannot but recognize how the relationship with his boxmate has been one of the happiest notes of his adventure in Rosso.
"From this point of view, the adventure in Ducati has been great, because we have fought a lot, always with respect," he said, "We have been a very good team, very solid, and we have worked to be faster every time. Probably, the level was also raised because of the work we did together, because when we were testing new parts we always talked a lot to do our best for Ducati and get the material to Jorge and Franco as well."
At the end of a season in which he has had the opportunity to study both Martin and Bagnaia closely, the Rimini native then gave his opinion on what he still needs to improve in order to be able to battle with them.
"In this end of the season I have felt strong everywhere, but fluctuating in the various situations and conditions. I don't think I've lacked anything other than consistency: probably my potential was very close to Pecco's and Jorge's, but many times I wasn't consistent and I lacked something," he admitted , "One more year would have helped me to be able to make a difference, because I can't consider 2023, since it hasn't helped me at all. This year I worked hard to get to their level, because I wasn't. Some of the times I was close to them and some of the times I did better, so I think I don't lack anything to be able to do what they do, except a little bit of luck and a little more work at home as well to be able to do better. That's what I will try to work on for the future."
Now awaiting Bastianini is a new chapter in Tech3, where he will be able to count on the support of Alberto Giribuola, the crew chief who partnered him in his MotoGP debut.
"It will definitely help, because it won't be a restart from scratch: 'Pigiamino' knows me very well, and he already knows what I like and what I don't. However, we'll see on Tuesday how the work with the new bike will be - he concluded - I don't know what to expect, and I'll arrive at these tests without making predictions or setting myself goals, but trying to give my best, because I want to fight a lot more than what I've been fighting for this year."
