Injured Bastianini considers pulling out | Bagnaia: “I am struggling”
The factory Ducati rider passed a medical check-up to compete this weekend in Jerez after suffering a broken shoulder blade in the first-ever sprint, which has left him without any points and sidelined from every race since.
But he struggled through Friday practice, finishing 20th, and will decide on Saturday whether he is physically able to race.
“For sure I'd like to continue, but I also have to be realistic,” Bastianini said. “After six or seven laps I was really fatigued, so it will be difficult to think I can finish the long race.
“It was a challenging day, but I expected it given my condition. Tomorrow morning the goal is to get on track for Free Practice and see if I can continue with qualifying and then the Sprint in the afternoon.”
Factory Ducati teammate and reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia endured a difficult Friday for different reasons.
He was left stranded outside of the top 10 on Friday and facing the prospect of tackling Q1 on Saturday.
“Last year my feeling on this track was unbelievable but today, I was struggling to find consistency,” Bagnaia said.
“I am struggling with the front feeling of the bike. We’re working on it. We have an idea for the solution - but let’s see.
“I expected more today from me and my bike but the worst thing is that we are outside the top 10, from P2.
“But we have tomorrow morning to improve, to understand our feeling. Sector 1 and 2 are okay, but 3 and 4 is where I am losing a lot of time.”
Bagnaia said about tweaks made to his Desmosedici: “We did not make big changes. It’s true that we have an hour but it’s not so much time. For tomorrow, it’s important to improve that feeling.
“Last year we were very competitive in Sector 3 but today it was difficult to enter, I was going wide, so it’s different to last year.
“The balance of the bike is different so maybe this is the reason. Maybe we have to change the setting.
“We are arriving from a circuit which are very long. This one is different. The new bike has a difference balance and we must find a solution.
“The grip is the only thing, at the moment, that is okay.”
Ducati will be charged with somehow reversing Bagnaia’s fortunes overnight, as he attempts to overhaul Mooney VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi’s 11-point advantage at the top of the MotoGP standings.
“I am not so worried because I’m sure that my team will help me, and I’ll do the maximum to adapt to the bike,” Bagnaia said.
“With this type of work you don’t have time to adapt to the bike.
“In this moment, for my riding style, the front feeling is too important so we must find a solution.”
He assessed his chances in the sprint race: “It will be important not to be followed because many riders are competitive.
“In this track for a sprint race, starting from the front is important.
“It looks like the sprint race will not be with the soft rear tyre. But we will discover more tomorrow. Let’s see.
“It’s more important to start from the front than to have a soft tyre for the sprint, so let’s see.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
