BASTIANINI SAYS MISANO FORM FELL INTO THE SAME PATTERN AFTER STRONG PRACTICE

Enea Bastianini described Misano’s San Marino Grand Prix as another frustrating example of a pattern he can’t seem to break, despite a respectable result. Finishing eighth on Sunday, the Tech3 rider said the performance was solid, and it also made him the second-fastest KTM rider in the race. However, he pointed to how far things were from what the RC16 could potentially deliver—especially when compared with Pedro Acosta’s podium and fastest race lap.

For the Rimini local, the gap between what he wanted and what he achieved was visible from the start. Bastianini began the weekend from 16th on the grid, and he felt that starting position kept a stronger result out of reach “at any time,” particularly so close to his home. From there, he moved forward in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, improving only one place on Saturday but climbing into the top 10 in the race, helped in part by retirements.

Bastianini’s frustration was aimed less at the race itself and more at the weekend rhythm. “It’s always the same,” he said. “On Fridays we’re fast on the bike, and even in qualifying it feels good. But we’ve had this so often that we don’t find that feeling again on Saturday in qualifying and in the Sprint.”

He also explained why the race can look different from the earlier sessions. In his view, he needs longer to build speed: “At the end of the race I can do something, if the tyre still has enough stability and I have trust in the bike. At the beginning it’s complicated because the front tyre is unsteady. The longer the race lasts, the more I can use the rear tyre at the entry to the corner—that helps me.”

Looking ahead, Bastianini believes Misano can still provide useful information. “It was the race that worked best for us from start to finish,” he said, adding that he expects to take data from it and study it. He also believes he has a direction for changes, but warned that implementation isn’t straightforward: “I have a clear idea of what we need to do. But it can’t be so easily put into practice.”

According to Bastianini, the RC16 setup window is extremely narrow. “The window in which our settings work is very small. And if we try to go beyond it, it ends in disaster.” He felt that window lined up on Sunday, when he produced the sixth-fastest lap of the race, just three tenths of a second behind Aprilia’s top pace—Jorge Martin.

The eighth-place finish also mattered in the championship. It helped Bastianini reduce his deficit to HRC rider Luca Marini to four points. With 92 points, he sits 12th overall and now holds a nine-point advantage over his Tech3 teammate Brad Binder.