RiderTua.com – On paper, the first day of the Portuguese GP looked perfect for Enea Bastianini. However, the factory Ducati rider still has shortcomings in terms of race speed. Bestia was fast for only one lap, the results were not the same as the sprint race or even the long race on Sunday. This caught the attention of the other racers in the first part of practice. With 19th place on the asphalt surface covered with a layer of dirt, Enea quickly started the hunt for time.
Enea Bastianini said that she did not feel comfortable at all, the start in the morning was not good at all, but that was solely because the track was very dirty, she said.
Enea Bastianini: Dirty Tracks Make You Uncomfortable
As training progresses and the conditions are right, Bestia’s strength appears by itself. Throughout the session, Enea Bastianini was the fastest of the two Ducati Lenovo racers. His Ducati set-up was right so the racer from Rimini, Italy decided to make a time attack early on.
While most of his rivals were still busy with coordination on the track, Bastianini installed soft tires. The time he achieved with the soft/soft combination was good enough to take him to first place. At some points, with 1:38.0 minutes he was 0.5 seconds clear on the track. Even though his pursuers are gradually creeping up, the position as the fastest racer in Friday’s practice can no longer be taken away from EB#23.
Satisfied, but not happy. That’s Bastianini’s feeling. He said that when he realized that he had as good a feeling as before, it was easy for him to go through such a good lap on the soft tyre. At the same time, he still had concerns. Because his racing speed is not yet perfect (with racing tires). “There are several racers who are much faster at the moment,” said the 26 year old rider.
In fact, Ducati doesn’t need to worry about tomorrow. With Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez and world champion Pecco Bagnaia, half of the top 10 consists of Ducati riders. Data comparisons with fellow Ducati riders cannot be ruled out, also because the first training session was ineffective.
In particular, it is expected that there will be a fierce battle for first place on the grid between Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez and of course Pecco Bagnaia. But before that, it is important to survive the third practice session without crashes and injuries.
