BASTIANINI IMPRESSES AT MOTEGI AS ACOSTA CRASHES OUT AND BEZZECCHI’S TYRE GAMBLE FALLS SHORT

Enea Bastianini gave Red Bull KTM Tech3 a welcome boost at Motegi, securing fifth place on Friday and a direct place in Saturday’s second qualifying session. It was his first automatic Q2 appearance since Assen at the end of June, ending a months-long wait.

The Italian was eighth shortly before the final moments of the session and at risk of slipping out of the top 10. A late improvement brought him to within 0.349 seconds of pace-setter Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati, and less than two tenths behind teammate Pedro Acosta.

“It was a really good day. The afternoon in particular went well this time,” Bastianini said. He was surprised by how well the tyres lasted, after Friday sessions had often brought problems and inconsistent performance. At Motegi, he was able to set a faster time on his final lap.

Bastianini credited the circuit’s new surface with helping tyre durability, though he did not consider its grip exceptional. “The surface is very good for tyre life,” he said, adding that the conditions had been useful for MotoGP work. He noted that Moto3 and Moto2 had seen many crashes, while observing that good grip did not necessarily make the surface special.

The day was far more difficult for Tech3 teammate Maverick Viñales. Returning after several months away, the Spaniard finished 22nd, around two seconds off the pace.

Acosta qualified third on the front row after finishing second in Friday’s time attack. He lost a place to Marco Bezzecchi at the start, then Bastianini passed him and pushed him wide. Approaching Turn 3, Alex Marquez tried to pass Fabio Di Giannantonio on the inside but misjudged the move and hit Acosta’s KTM. All three riders went into the gravel, ending Acosta’s sprint after only a few hundred metres. Marquez received a double long-lap penalty for Sunday’s race.

“It was a good day for a podium,” Acosta said, adding that he had hoped to gain ground on Bezzecchi. “But in three corners we lost everything.” He had not expected others to struggle so much with their tyres and said the medium felt good in practice. With Sunday’s choice uncertain, he said: “If everyone puts on the medium and everyone struggles, it’s the same for everyone.” Acosta remained fourth in the championship, 79 points behind leader Jorge Martin and 32 behind Bezzecchi.

Bezzecchi started the sprint from fourth and got ahead of Acosta into Turn 1, but his medium-tyre strategy did not deliver the attack he had hoped for. He was passed by Bastianini, Aprilia teammate Ai Ogura and rookie Diogo Moreira, then held off Johann Zarco to finish sixth, about seven seconds behind winner Marc Marquez. The result left him 38 points behind Marquez and 45 behind Martin.

Bezzecchi said he had chosen the medium after using it successfully in the morning and worrying the soft might overheat. “After the first two laps, when I had to fight, the performance was there — it was just too slow. The feeling was there, but not the pace. I lost almost a second per lap.” He called the choice right on paper, though the result suggested otherwise, and said the experience gained with the medium could help for the Grand Prix.

Bastianini’s strong weekend continued in qualifying, where he took seventh, and the sprint. He made up two places by the first corner, then passed Acosta. Alex Marquez crashed shortly afterwards, taking Acosta and Di Giannantonio out. Bastianini later moved ahead of Bezzecchi and closed on Martin, but a small final-lap mistake and track-limit penalties left him fourth rather than second.

“I was frustrated at first, also because this time it went the other way,” Bastianini said, recalling that an Acosta penalty had helped him onto the podium at the US Grand Prix. Still, he was pleased: “I’m satisfied with the race. I was consistently fast. I was especially happy with qualifying — it felt really good to have a clear view at the start again.” He moved past Luca Marini to 11th in the championship. Viñales finished 15th in the sprint, 20 seconds behind the winner.