RiderTua.com – Enea Bastianini performed well at the Portuguese GP by winning pole position, finishing 6th in the sprint, and finishing 2nd in the main race. However, the pressure that the Italian rider was under was clearly visible when Davide Tardozzi (Ducati team manager), demanded that he appear more aggressive before Sunday’s main race at the Algarve-Portimao circuit.
“I think Enea has to change her attitude. She has to be more aggressive. Because she can’t overtake during the sprint. Not because she does late braking. The problem is, in MotoGP the level of the bike and the rider is very high and that makes it flat. So to overtake, we have to do something like “What Marc Marquez did to Jorge Martin. We have to be more aggressive. I think Enea understands this,” stressed Tardozzi.
Ducati Team Manager: Enea Bastianini Must Become More Aggressive Like Marc Marquez
And Enea Bastianini managed to respond to the boss’s input with much better results. The 26 year old rider was only behind Jorge Martin (Pramac) at the Portuguese GP. Bestia ended the second series of the 2024 season in 3rd place in the MotoGP standings, above his teammate and two-time consecutive world champion Francesco Bagnaia who was in 4th place with a difference of only 2 points.
However, Pecco Bagnaia’s future is relatively more secure after the Valentino Rossi pupil signed a new contract (2025 and 2026), while many riders are eyeing Bastianini’s seat at the factory Ducati team for next year. As is known, Bastianini’s debut with the Red was interrupted due to a serious shoulder injury he suffered during the first sprint at Portimao in 2023.
Michael Laverty said that Enea got everything he wanted, namely a factory Ducati contract. He appears in a red uniform and crashes. A shoulder injury hampered him throughout the season. He wasn’t happy with the GP23 but the new bike seemed to suit him. He was fast in Qatar and fast in the tests. Achieved pole position on Saturday. He is getting closer to the top riders.
Laverty explained that another problem he had was having Pecco Bagnaia as his teammate. “We know that Fermin Aldeguer has signed a contract with Ducati. And we know that Fabio Quartararo’s contract is up. Martin also wants the Ducati factory. Unlucky Enea is rebuilding his strength and reorganizing his deal with Ducati but all the riders are already at their best level to chase his seat. So he doesn’t have time to adapt, really. He’s got the speed. He just needs more time.”
But after the Portuguese GP, Bastianini was able to enjoy a comfortable 3 week break because he managed to secure third place in the standings. His next fight will be a tie for 3rd at Texas-Austin, where he is coming off a win in 2022.
“Enea is confident again. With a podium, this means she is starting to adapt to the Ducati factory. Her mistake on Saturday was because she was nervous. She has to relax. Next weekend the race is at COTA, where she has won before. She can build her strength and try to finish “contract early. Because all riders want factory Ducati seats,” concluded Laverty.
