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Enea Bastianini was also present in Piazza Maggiore in Bologna for the great Ducati party, as they celebrated the golden year of the Bolognese constructor and the titles won by Francesco Bagnaia and Alvaro Bautista. A legacy that the rider from Rimini will try to pick up from where the new World Champion started, to place the #1 on his Desmosedici in 2024.
“I’m here to try. I was put on the official team, so I’ll definitely have a chance at winning the title,” Enea said. “There are many of us. Pecco will want to reconfirm, but there are many other riders who are competitive. Today's MotoGP is really difficult.”
Regardless of the final result, the Beast is ready to put on a show with his new partner, in the wake of the battles on the track that animated this season, convincing Ducati to promote Bastianini to the official team.
“I think we’ve already had some good battles, but we have to continue. It’s now essential to collaborate and develop the bike at its best. Then, on the track, when it’s time for the race, everyone will fend for themselves, as it should be,” the 24-year-old rider stated. “We’ve already had fun this year, and we’ve had some good battles, like in Misano, Aragon, and Malaysia. So, we’ll try to repeat this in the future.”
Although there are still a few months before to the beginning of the new season, Enea began to take stock of his new team on the first day of tests in Valencia, during which he began to step into this new reality as an official rider: “I think I’ve adapted quite quickly but, in a one-day test, it’s difficult to really say what the feelings for the future can be,” the Ducati rider admiited. “It’s a team that works really well. My electronics remaind the same. My crew chief was replaced, so we’ll have to establish a good relationship, but we have what it takes to do well.”
On the day of tests in Valencia, a funny episode occurred with Bastianini’s manager, Carlo Pernat, who was denied access to the official garage. Will this be happening all season long?
“We’re working for the future. We’re also trying to obtain that,” Enea said jokingly. “Ducati played a joke on him. They've known him a long time. Carlo has now become the wise man of the paddock. Everyone knows him.”
As he continues to look ahead to the future, the rider from Rimini reflects on the development of the new Desmosedici GP. The weapon with which he’ll try to attack during the upcoming World Championship. Will he and Pecco need different bikes or are their needs similar?
“Hard to say, but my riding style and Pecco's are certainly different in some respects and very similar in others. So, we have to try to figure out if we both need the same thing,” Enea explained. “Obviously, we talked to the engineers after testing some things, and the comments were quite similar, but it’s difficult to say and to compare. However, we Ducati riders are all different from each other, and it’s hard to make a bike that works for everyone. This year, we succeeded, in the sense that the 2021-2022 bike was quite good and, whoever rode it, could do it well. I think the new bike will be a bit more complex, though.”
