Enea Bastianini admitted he “can’t explain why” he struggled to adapt his style after his first season riding the Tech3 KTM MotoGP team.
Seven-time race winner Bastianini joined the satellite KTM for the 2025 MotoGP season after two injury-ridden campaigns with the factory Ducati team.
However, the Austrian manufacturer struggled on the whole in 2025, scoring only six podiums, though Bastianini did take one out in Barcelona.
One of the biggest problems to befall KTM throughout last season was its difficulty with adapting to the soft rear tyre, which is vital for qualifying in particular.
Bastianini revealed this was also his biggest gripe in his adaptation period with the RC16.
“The trend is this: Friday is complicated, Saturday a bit less and Sunday in the race we are competitive,” Bastianini said via Crash.net.
“But also, we are competitive because in the race with the medium tyre, I find the confidence to be fast.
“With the soft, the bike gives me the opposite: no confidence, I can’t push.
“It will be important to stop for two months to reset and try to find something for next year.
“To be honest, it’s like the rear pushes me out in every corner, and it’s much more complicated to turn.
“With the medium, it’s much better for me to slide the rear, I’m more confident, and lap by lap I’m more confident. This happens every time.”
Enea Bastianini ‘not relaxed’ while riding KTM machinery
Bastianini also admitted that he feels like the Sprints helped him to find pace ahead of grand prix races.
Though the Italian failed to find his signature late-race pace, Bastianini showed glimpses of his previous strong performances, including in Barcelona where he earned his first podium with KTM.
However, he also suggested he is still yet to find a relaxed position on the bike, which hindered his capabilities for better results.
“Sometimes the sprint has helped me to be fast on Sunday, because if we analyse, during the warm-up many times I’m fast.
“It’s always the same when we use the tyre of the race.
“When we use the tyre of the sprint, the soft, I’m always behind and trying to do something different on the bike.
“But checking the video, I’m not relaxed, it’s not my style, and I can’t explain why.”
Discussion about this post