Rather than expecting his new Tech3 KTM, Enea Bastianini returns to the dominant 2024 UK MotoGP scene.
Bastianini took both the sprint and grand prix victories as a factory Ducati rider last season, making him the only repeat winner in recent Silverstone history – technically, 10 different riders won the final 10 Premier Class Grand Prix.
The Italian won again at Misano last season, narrowly losing to Mark Marquez in third place at the World Championships on the podium on the ninth Sunday.
But now Bastianini, who is riding on the KTM machine, is struggling to break into the front position, with the best result so far coming in 7th place at Kota.
He also arrived at Silverstone with an additional handicap of a long lap penalty for contacts that left Francesco Bagnaia on the ground at Le Mans.
“Le Mans was certainly crazy, but despite all the penalties, we were able to show decent pace and score points in the race,” said Bastianini, who finished the mixed French Grand Prix on the 13th.
“The asphalt was very slippery, but it was important to everyone. I checked my speed on orbit and it was very good… Johann was much faster, but I was close to Mark and Fermin’s (lap time).
Bastianini was punished more than three times on Sunday at the French Grand Prix.
The first was a double long lap for a sighting lap bike swap. After that, after switching to a wet bike, two more long laps to speed in the pit lane. Despite his second crash, he ultimately retrieved three points… and was then handed over a long post-race lap penalty for Silverstone due to the previous Bagnaia incident.
“Silverstone might be where he can click on the bike.”
Long laps are an additional obstacle, but team manager Nicholas Goyon hopes that Bastianini’s past silverstone format can help him “click” the KTM package in the end.
“Silverstone showed he won both the sprint and the race in 2024, so maybe it’s a race where you can click on the bike because he loves it,” Goyoung said.
“Unfortunately, he has to offer a long lap penalty during the race, but I’m sure he will motivate him to perform in the UK.”
Bastianini said: “Now we’re focusing on Silverstone. This is a track I really enjoy and is usually a fast place, so it’ll be interesting to see how KTM works on this track.
“There’s a long lap penalty to serve in the race. That’s not ideal, but let’s do a good job from Friday and focus on getting a better place on the grid before the penalty.”
Teammate Maverick Venares has emerged as the most consistent KTM challenger in recent races, including a double top five at Le Mans.
It appears that Factory Riders Pedroa Costa and Blood Binder have moved to a Binares style setup. Meanwhile, Bastianini continues to run a larger rear seating unit, “Salad Box.”
