Enea Bastianini’s Relentless Consistency: The Key Strength Propelling Him into MotoGP Title Contention

"Enea Bastianini’s remarkable skill propels him into title race"

Enea Bastianini’s triumph in the British MotoGP last weekend has thrust him into the championship spotlight, owing to one notable strength.

The battle for the 2024 MotoGP championship has largely been a contest among three riders since the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. During that race, Jorge Martin emerged victorious over Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia. These three competitors have been the main contenders, with Bagnaia and Martin enjoying a slight edge over Marquez in terms of both points and equipment.

During the series of races from the French Grand Prix up until the summer break, three riders dominated by securing nine out of the 12 possible podium finishes. Bagnaia emerged as the standout performer, clinching victory in all four races in that stretch. His consistent success allowed him to steadily reduce Martin's points advantage and ultimately overtake him to lead the championship following the German Grand Prix.

However, following the summer hiatus, the racer who secured fourth place at Le Mans propelled himself into the championship race. Enea Bastianini overtook Marquez to claim third in the riders' standings after achieving his first double victory in Britain.

The Italian rider had never previously finished on the podium in a MotoGP Sprint race before the event at Silverstone on August 3. However, he secured a victory in that race and followed it up with another win on Sunday.

While Bastianini’s victory in the Sprint highlighted his peak speed, it was his consistent performance in the Sunday Grand Prix that truly impressed.

Despite Bastianini being at the front after the first lap, he dropped to fourth place by the end of the third lap. It wasn't until the race reached its midway point that he began to advance again. On the 11th lap, he overtook Aleix Espargaro to secure third place, and three laps later, on lap 14, he passed his Ducati Lenovo teammate Francesco Bagnaia to move into second. By the second-to-last lap, Bastianini was closely trailing Jorge Martin, who was leading. Under pressure, Martin adopted a defensive stance and subsequently made an error at turn three on the penultimate lap.

Bastianini maintained the lead for nearly the last two laps and ultimately secured victory, finishing approximately 1.9 seconds ahead of Martin.

The Italian rider maintained an unwaveringly steady speed, consistently clocking laps in the 1:59 range after the first two laps. From lap three to the final lap, lap 20, Bastianini did not record a single lap time outside of this range, neither dipping to 1:58 nor rising to 2:00.

Throughout the race, he consistently clocked times in the high 1:59s range, notably achieving a 1:59.579 on lap 10 before being slowed down by Espargaro. He then improved to a 59.297 on lap 11 after overtaking Espargaro. On laps 13 and 14, he recorded two 59.6s as he caught up to and passed Bagnaia, who eventually finished in third place. A 59.526 on lap 16 was just 0.1 seconds faster than Martin, seemingly halting Bastianini’s progress. However, he followed it with a 59.172, closing in on Martin’s position. Even on his final lap, he managed a 1:59.946, while Martin's pace dropped into the 2:01s.

Martin was the only rider besides Bastianini to consistently achieve lap times in the 1:59 range, maintaining this pace for a considerable duration. His first 2:00 lap came on lap 19 after a mistake allowed Bastianini to pass him. In contrast, Bagnaia mostly recorded lap times above 1:59 from lap 13 onwards, with his sole exception being a 1:59.714 on lap 15. Similarly, Marc Marquez did not manage a 1:59 lap after lap 13. Aleix Espargaro, who had achieved two 1:58 laps in the first six laps, recorded his last 1:59 lap on lap 12.

Every rider opted for the medium-compound tires on both the front and rear, except for Aleix Espargaro. He decided to go with a hard-compound front tire, which had helped him secure third place in Saturday's Sprint race.

Therefore, considering every rider used identical rear tires, what allowed Bastianini to gain a significant edge towards the end of the race, despite not sacrificing much in the initial stages?

In an interview with TNT Sports after the race, Sylvain Guintoli attributed Bastianini's success to his patience. He also noted that as the race progressed and the fuel load decreased, Bastianini became more comfortable and confident with his Desmosedici bike.

Guintoli mentioned that the racer allowed the event to unfold naturally. Initially, he seemed to have a hard time handling the bike due to the full fuel tank. However, as the fuel level decreased and the bike became lighter, he was able to improve his lap times and gain an advantage.

In addition to the decreasing fuel load, Guintoli mentioned that Bastianini was improving as the tire degraded.

"The 2014 World Superbike Champion commented on Bastianini's winning move against Martin, saying that with worn tires and a light fuel load, Bastianini was incredibly fast and efficient, making it impossible for Martin to counter."

Neil Hodgson, who won the World Superbike Championship in 2003, commented that Bastianini's way of riding contributed significantly to his strong performance towards the end of the race.

"He possesses a unique talent for conserving his tires. While we observe all riders leaning off their bikes and lifting them up, he performs this maneuver more frequently than the others. Notably, he executes this technique early in the races when he still has good traction."

"As he reaches the corner's exit, he lifts the bike and moves it away from the tire's edge." Hodgson clarified that other riders, who don't lift their bikes as dramatically as Bastianini, are wearing out the tire's edge grip, which Hodgson referred to as "the most crucial part of the tire."

According to Hodgson, Bastianini’s technique allows him to maintain a better grip on his tires than others as the race progresses. By the time the race reaches the three-quarter mark and most competitors start losing traction, Bastianini still seems to have about 10 to 20 percent more grip. This enables him to consistently perform strong lap times until the race concludes. Hodgson praised Bastianini's ability, calling him the best in the world at this skill.

Hodgson praised Bastianini’s racing skills, noting that he capitalized on errors made by Bagnaia and Martin to advance, instead of aggressively overtaking them.

According to Hodgson, the Italian rider doesn't aggressively make moves. Reflect on the numerous occasions we've observed Bastianini; he's not the type to push hard. Instead, he patiently waits, confident that his opportunity will eventually present itself.

Due to Bastianini's ability to manage his tires effectively and his composed approach to racing, Hodgson expressed that "Bastianini is truly a contender for the championship."

Having established himself as a successful competitor in Sprints, Bastianini appears to be a serious contender for substantial points each weekend. With 370 points still up for grabs, he currently trails Martin by 49 points. Martin reclaimed the championship lead after triumphing over Bagnaia in the British Grand Prix, where the Italian failed to score in the Sprint.

Bastianini is fully aware of his points deficit in the championship standings and remains confident in his abilities, Hodgson commented. "He's a strong contender," he added.

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