Reluctance to make contact? Why KTM rider Bastianini rode behind Moreira for so long

After the sessions at MotorLand, absolutely no one had Enea Bastianini on their radar. From the start of the first practice session, the Tech3 rider complained of problems on all fronts, which persisted right through to qualifying – 16th place for the former winner of the Aragon GP (2022).

Even in the short sprint race, he couldn’t seem to find his rhythm. Whilst his team-mate Pedro Acosta had the podium within his sights, ‘La Bestia’ was stuck in a position behind the Yamaha riders Rins and Razgatlioglu. At the finish, the number 23 was recorded in 14th place – 13 seconds behind the fastest RC16 rider, Acosta.

On Sunday, Italy’s MotoGP fans were delighted to see a compatriot who seemed like a completely different rider. Bastianini didn’t overtake any rivals in the opening laps. Then his confidence grew, as Bastianini reported. “After the sprint, expectations were very low, so we tried a different set-up in the warm-up. It’s just that – in the warm-up – it’s very difficult for me to tell whether it’s actually working, partly because our tyres take a while to reach full performance.”

Willkommen zum Rennen in Aragón

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Jorge Martin

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Fans

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Marc Márquez

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Fermin Aldeguer

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Fermin Aldeguer, Alex Márquez, Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Di Giannantonio

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Start des Rennens

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Moreira und Bastianini

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Marc Márquez

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Pecco Bagnaia

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Alex Márquez

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Fabio Di Giannantonio

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Pedro Acosta

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Brad Binder

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Fermin Aldeguer

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Marc Márquez und Pedro Acosta

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Jorge Martin

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Marc Márquez gewinnt das Rennen

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Pedro Acosta, Marc Márquez, Marco Bezzecchi

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Willkommen zum Rennen in Aragón

© Gold & Goose

Bastianini continued: “After a few laps, the bike felt very good – and I was able to start overtaking.” The future Trackhouse Aprilia rider also benefited from a tussle ahead of him, which saw Brad Binder, amongst others, drop back behind him. In lap 5 alone, Bastianini overtook four rivals. Next up were Joan Mir and Jack Miller.

Having long since made it into the top 10, rookie Moreira was next on the list, which proved to be a tricky task. “To be honest, compared to other riders, I hardly know Diogo. I haven’t raced against him much so far; overtaking him was a real challenge, partly because he brakes very hard and consistently. So it took a bit longer.” According to the race record, it took seven laps, or just over 35 kilometres.

But on the final lap, even the Brazilian had to concede defeat; Bastianini drew on his experience and caught the youngster off guard. Eighth place marked a consoling end to yet another mixed weekend. Despite a respectable ride, it was impossible to overlook the fact that Pedro Acosta was once again in a league of his own on his KTM further up the field at Aragon. On the fastest lap, the young Spaniard was 0.6 seconds faster than Bastianini.