Enea Bastianini is facing a different end to the season than he thought he'd experience. The progress in his performance on the KTM before and during the summer was obvious, to the point that it allowed him to take the podium in the Sprint in Brno and then in the Grand Prix in Barcelona. This change of pace hinted at a season finale that he consistently experienced as a role player, but things didn't actually turn out that way.
Alberto Giribuola's farewell certainly took its toll, but Enea is now trying to get back on track, performing well in the Australian GP and finishing in the top ten, while proving he had the pace that would've allowed him to fight for the podium with a better qualification. In short, the problem remains the same, namely, the ability to extract the maximum potential from the bike on a flying lap, something that Acosta succeeds in very well.
"I think my race pace is similar to Acosta's, if not better," Enea explained. "Certainly, from this point of view, we're always very close, but the problem is that he always starts in the first rows and I don't. In the time attack, he's very effective, he takes advantage of the tire well, while I don't. This is something I lack. It's not only about the ability to take advantage of the tire, but also to trust to push and end a fast lap like that. Pedro is very strong in that and, in today's MotoGP, it's a big advantage to be strong in qualifying. That's something I'm working on, learning to be more precise and make the most of the potential of this bike."
Has Giribuola's farewell also heavily affected this aspect?
"I'll have another crew chief here as well because, unfortunately, Xavi had to go home due to family problems. Here, I'll have Thomas, the technician I also had in Japan. From this point of view, too, it's clear that some consistency is lacking, but there are family reasons. You can't do anything about it, and I understand that very well. I'm not saying that this has had an affect, but it may have a bit, because it slightly blocked my work. In Australia, however, with Xavi, we understood each other very well right away. We did a good job. But this thing, in general, slowed things down a little bit, although I get along well with both Xavi and Thomas. I'm not starting from scratch. I know I can do a good job anyway."
You didn't have a linear 2025. How's the outcome?
"The season wasn't linear. Maybe I would've expected better in that respect. I hoped to be more consistent, and I hoped to get a few more results, especially in these last races. This didn't happen but, at least, we had a positive trend that allowed us to do better. That means we can be competitive. I was very strong in the race even in Australia. I think, when things are going well, we can show our potential. We're missing qualifying, and that's unquestionable. You need it to be able to fight on Sunday for important positions. I had the pace to be in the top five in Phillip Island. When it goes like that, you're pleased because you know you could've had a good race, but that gets to me even more."
What do you expect from Sepang?
"I usually like this track a lot. The first time I rode the KTM here, you know, it didn't do very well. Here, in Sepang, I wasn't very fast. But, now, the bike has changed a lot, and I also understand how to make better use of my style for it. I think we can do a good job. We'll need a good start. The problem is always qualifying. I hope to find something to help me. I also talked about it with the team. In the race. I'm always competitive, but I need to make improvements in qualifying."