Bastianini’s Brilliant Podium in Australia: From 10th to Top 3 After Solving Rear Stability Woes

Enea Bastianini's Remarkable Recovery in Australian Sprint: From 'Struggling' to a Surprising Third Place

Ducati Competitor Climbs from 10th Position to Secure a Spot on the Australian GP Sprint Podium

Enea Bastianini states that Ducati successfully addressed the rear stability problems he faced over the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix weekend before the sprint race.

The Ducati team's racer did not secure a spot in the Q2 session following Friday's practice runs and was only able to achieve a 10th-place finish after moving up from Q1 during Saturday's morning qualifying round.

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However, Bastianini managed to turn this into a dash to third place in the sprint, which involved passing his world champion teammate Francesco Bagnaia towards the end.

At Phillip Island, Bastianini faced a significant challenge with instability at the rear of his GP24 due to the new track surface, but he realized during the sighting lap before the sprint race that he had the potential to perform exceptionally well.

"Indeed, I'm pleased as the podium finish in the sprint was quite surprising for me, given that I had a challenging time throughout the weekend with the rear," he expressed.

The primary issue stemmed from the movements. However, by the final sprint, we managed to somewhat resolve that issue.

"During the warm-up lap, I realized, 'Alright, I have the potential to perform excellently today.' It turned out to be an incredible fight right from the beginning, and even in the final three to four laps, I was right on Marc [Marquez]'s tail."

"However, I lacked that extra 0.1 or 0.2 seconds [to challenge him], making it impossible to go on the offensive."

The freshly laid asphalt is decent, although the wind proved to be excessively powerful today.

"Furthermore, being solitary during the race posed a significant challenge."

"Being part of a group also presented challenges, particularly on the straightaways, where the slipstream created a highly problematic scenario due to all the turbulence."

"Ultimately, it's understood that Phillip Island has its quirks with the wind and the birds. It's all part of its charm."

Heading into the grand prix, Bastianini remains skeptical about using the soft rear tyre from the sprint for Sunday's race. He plans to review Marco Bezzecchi's performance data with the medium tyre to guide his choice more effectively.

"For me, that's not an option, as we need to more thoroughly evaluate the situation with Michelin," he mentioned regarding using the soft tires in Sunday's race.

"However, the optimal approach may involve utilizing the medium tomorrow, especially since we have Marco's data, given that he utilized the medium at the back during the sprint."

"Ultimately, he met with an accident, but there's something we can verify."

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