Buriram sprint winner Enea Bastianini says “I can’t be fast, the problem is…”

While Maverick Vinales has switched MotoGP brands for a fourth time, it’s an all-new experience for Tech3 KTM team-mate Enea Bastianini.

The Italian has been a Ducati rider since his 2021 premier-class debut.

After podiums in his rookie season with Avintia, Bastianini was moved to Gresini where he stunned with victory on his team debut in Qatar 2022.

Three more wins and third in the world championship sent him straight to the factory Ducati Lenovo team alongside Francesco Bagnaia, where his career momentum came to an abrupt halt.

Injured at the opening round, then again in Catalunya, The Beast was also never comfortable on the GP23, salvaging a surprise Sepang win during his worst MotoGP campaign.

Expected to lose his seat before the 2024 season had even begun, Bastianini - who went on to fight Marc Marquez for best of the rest behind Jorge Martin and Bagnaia - turned down a return to satellite Ducati status in favour of a fresh start at KTM.

But so far, it’s been a challenge.

16th on his debut at the Barcelona test last November, which included a heavy fall, was followed by just 18th on the timesheets at Sepang and finally 15th at Buriram, venue for this weekend’s season opener.

"For the first time since I have been in MotoGP, I will start the season with a new brand, which is super exciting and really motivating, with new challenges ahead,” Bastianini said.

“The pre-season was good,” he insisted, “but we need to learn a bit more the KTM RC16, and build the confidence step by step, so for sure, we still have areas to improve on as we arrive at the first round.

“The good thing about arriving in Buriram is that we have two fresh days of tests there, so we already have all the data, but we will have to see how it goes with the conditions, as it is expected to be very hot.”

Enea Bastianini struggles on KTM MotoGP bike

Braking and corner entry appear to be the biggest issues for Bastianini, who is reunited with former Avintia and Gresini crew chief Alberto Girabola at Tech3 this year.

“The problem is that we have brought the direction of when we were in Ducati, and with this bike [it doesn’t work],” Bastianini said.

“I tried to do some corner speed, but Pedro [Acosta] does completely the opposite riding style – he stops the bike and restarts.

“We have tried a bit his setup and it’s worked well, I stayed much faster, and probably the approach of this bike is this one.

“But it’s not natural for me and, at the moment, I can’t be very fast like Pedro.”

Team manager Nicolas Goyon said: “Both [Bastianini and Vinales] focused on getting used to the RC16 and defining their own bike base during the pre-season tests.  

“It was not an easy task, but step by step, we saw them closing the gap to the leaders, which was our target.

“This week, they need to remain calm, continue their progress, and I am sure that we will fight soon for top positions.”

Bastianini beat Martin to lead Ducati’s memorable top eight sweep in last October’s Thai Sprint race.

He then fell on his way to 14th in the wet grand prix, where Acosta claimed third for Tech3 KTM.