Ranked ninth, Enea Bastianini returned home from the Portuguese Grand Prix with seven points in the world rankings. Not the result the Italian had envisioned, but enough to claim a 3-point lead over closest rival Jorge Martin. The outcome of the title of best MotoGP rookie between the two will be decided in Valencia; the # 23 said he was only thinking of doing a good race, the title will be a side dish.
“To be honest, the expectation for today was to finish in the top ten, so I met my expectations – were Enea’s first words at the end of the race – It’s not exactly the position I would have liked to occupy as I was hoping to finish further up the front. I worked all weekend to get there and improve, but unfortunately I didn’t make it. I had quite a problem in the race, despite the problems I was able to keep a pretty good pace, It’s a shame that I immediately lost contact with the front runners, but in the early stages I just couldn’t push hard. “
Do you think your tire choice influenced your performance?
“I don’t think I never had any major problems during the race over the weekend so I don’t know what happened. You never know, maybe it would have been better if I had climbed the Hard. But since I never had any problems I was very confident about the medium, now I wouldn’t know if I had to do it all over again.
You’re still leading the battle for the best MotoGP rookie of 2021.
“Yes, of course that is not my main focus; I always like to do good races more than anything and now I know I didn’t have a good race. What counts in Valencia is that I have to run well. I know very well that Jorge (Martín, ed.) Is a great rival. I think there will be a good fight at Valencia ”.
Do you have any expectations for Valencia? You said earlier that it’s not a track that you like very much.
“To be honest, it’s not a really friendly track, but it might be a surprise, we’ll see.”
Almost all riders have given their opinion: what do you think of what happened in Moto3?
“I think it was a really stupid mistake, especially when the driver you wanted to overtake, he (Binder, note) actually wanted to overtake two, is fighting for the world championship. So it was really a scene not worthy of MotoGP. What scares me is that he’ll be racing with us next year ”.
Marini: “Every category is important, Binder will be missing something in MotoGP”
It looks different with Luca Marini. The SKY VR46 Racing driver crossed the finish line in 12th place. After yesterday’s qualifying, the # 10 lost a few positions in the first corner.
“As I said yesterday, the goal today was not to lose any positions on the first lap. Unfortunately, I already lost six or seven at the start – Marini began – At the start and at the first braking point, I lost a lot, the other motorcycles” have improved a lot in the machines themselves at the start, now it’s really difficult to keep the starting position. Especially the KTM, it’s unbelievable. I’m a little angry about that, I think I could have finished the race in better position. At the beginning of the race it was very difficult to overtake the other drivers, they were very aggressive and I lost a lot of time. As always, the tire temperature rose sharply in the backlog and I started fighting. It wasn’t until I passed two or three drivers that I was able to manage the situation better. However, there are some positive things: The tire choice was the right one for my driving style. “
Do you have any expectations for the last race of the year?
“No, nothing special. I just want to keep doing a good job and try to stay in the top 10 both in practice and in the race. They told me it was going to rain so this may change everything a little. Valencia is a track that has very little grip in the wet. Driving there in mid-November is risky, it is always very cold. I think the weather will play an important role. I hope everything is dry and with decent temperatures so that I can have a normal racing weekend. “
From what we saw in Moto3 today, how much do you think Binder can be affected by missing a move to Moto2?
“What I can say is that I didn’t compete in Moto3, that is, I actually made it in the Spanish championship, but many years ago and I have to say I’m missing something. At the end of each categoryory teaches you a lot and I need it, I would have liked to have done it, at least a year. There are some passages that you will otherwise lose. Each category has important traits that you will carry with you throughout your career. At least I feel like I’m missing a little something that I could have learned in Moto3. Even so, he will certainly miss something, but that doesn’t stop him from becoming a good driver. Also, he’s already very strong in Moto3 and that will prove very useful in MotoGP. Let’s hope he pulls himself together because let’s say he was aggressive today and throughout the season. Talking to the other Moto3 riders, I’ve noticed that every year two or three riders stand out who are a little bit outstanding. In any case, I hope he does better in MotoGP.
Yesterday Quartararo complained about the grip of the track, did you have such problems?
“Actually, yes, it wasn’t great grip. When it is very cold, the tires work differently and are very sensitive. For Valencia, I’m worried about the wetness, I remember that we’ve done a few races on the water and you can’t stay upright where it’s raining. Ultimately, I was always strong this year in the wet and as I said, it would be nice to have a good final race to draw positive energy for the year-end test. “