Bastianini’s Late Race Pace Dilemma: A Tough Austrian GP Despite Silverstone Success

Enea Bastianini discusses lack of speed towards the end of the Austrian MotoGP race

Following his expert management of tyre wear at Silverstone, Enea Bastianini found himself without the necessary performance to contend for the win in Austria's MotoGP event.

Enea Bastianini secured a podium finish at the Austrian MotoGP, expressing satisfaction with his result, even though he acknowledged being slower than Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.

Bastianini, initially in seventh place, quickly advanced to third position by the conclusion of the first sector during the opening lap. Given his remarkable ability to conserve tyres demonstrated in Silverstone, it was anticipated that starting from such an advantageous position would position Bastianini well to leverage his fast pace in the later parts of the race at the Red Bull Ring.

Nonetheless, the outcome was different, with Bastianini ending the race seven seconds after his triumphant team member, Bagnaia.

Bastianini detailed how the intermittent nature of the Red Bull Ring circuit prevented him from leveraging his strong late-race performance, unlike at the smoother Silverstone track.

"In the post-race press conference, Bastianini remarked, "The expected moment never came this time," attributing this to the unique nature of the track. He noted, "It's odd since there are numerous braking points, and a significant amount of that is done in a straight line."

"When you're required to speed up, you rotate just like the other competitors, and there's nothing you can do to conserve the tire even a little. I was just pleased to secure the third spot today."

Throughout the weekend, Bastianini lagged behind Bagnaia and Martin in speed, leading to his seventh position in the qualifying round. Consequently, he views his third-place finish as a favorable outcome.

"In conclusion, we managed to salvage the weekend to some extent, as I faced significant struggles starting from Friday, particularly with the front end, especially upon entry," he expressed. "For today's race, things improved slightly, and the start went quite well; I found myself in third position after the first turn. This gave me a bit of an advantage for the remainder of the race.

"Following the beginning, my speed wasn't on par with Pecco and Jorge's today, but given the challenging circumstances in that Grand Prix, we have reasons to feel satisfied."

Why was he unable to match Bagnaia and Martin's pace in Austria, despite outperforming them at Silverstone? What advantages did Bagnaia and Martin have over him?

Bastianini expressed that it's challenging to make a comparison because the two riders have such distinct styles and approaches.

"Pecco occasionally demonstrates an exceptional ability to brake, often managing to do so significantly later than his Ducati counterparts."

"Jorge has moments of brilliance, especially through corners, where he can maintain high speeds even at tighter angles, which is quite unusual."

"I believe there are occasions when I can contend with these two competitors, blending in well, but at times, like today, I find myself struggling and slightly off the pace."

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