Enea Bastianini says he “can not clarify why” he’s having bother utilizing a comfortable rear tire on his KTM MotoGP bike after a yr of struggling to qualify for the Tech3 rider.
The Italian moved to the KTM steady for the 2025 season after spending 4 years on Ducati machines, throughout which period he received seven Grands Prix.
Nevertheless, on this yr’s pre-season testing, Enea Bastianini struggled to adapt to the RC16, particularly with the usage of softer rubber on the rear.
This was very true in qualifying, the place Bastianini certified for Q2 simply 4 occasions in 2025 and completed within the high 10 simply 3 times.
Unsurprisingly, Bastianini had a robust qualifying and achieved his greatest results of the season, with highlights being a dash podium in Brno and third place within the Grand Prix of Catalunya.
He completed the season in 14th place within the rankings with 112 factors.
“The pattern is that Friday is blended, Saturday is a bit calmer and Sunday’s race is aggressive,” he defined.
“However we’re assured that we are going to be quick within the race on medium tyres, so we’re aggressive.
“On the softs, the bike provides me the alternative: I haven’t got the boldness and may’t push.
“It will likely be essential to cease for 2 months, reset and discover one thing for subsequent yr.
“To be trustworthy, it feels just like the rear is pushing me round each nook and it’s rather more sophisticated to show.
“On the medium, I can slide the rear rather a lot higher and really feel extra assured, and I get extra assured with every lap, which occurs each time.”
MotoGP’s packed weekend schedule means riders want to succeed in qualifying tempo by Friday afternoon, however Bastianini believes the present format will assist him perceive his bike.
“Typically the sprints helped me run sooner on Sunday, as a result of for those who analyze it, I used to be sooner many occasions throughout the warm-up.”
“It’s at all times the identical once you use tires in a race.
“Once I use dash tires or comfortable tires, I’m at all times on the again and making an attempt to do one thing completely different with the bike.
“However once you verify the video, it is not relaxed. That is not my model. And I can not clarify why.”
