After an amazing 2022, a new challenge begins for Enea: “I know Pecco from minibikes, I know how strong he is. But my approach won’t change: in 2022 I wasn’t too aggressive, I just tried to win. The GP23 seems competitive to me, I think we can do well”
January 23, 2023
Madonna di Campiglio – The mountain is probably not its natural environment and also being too much in the spotlight it doesn’t make him feel so comfortable, but Aeneas Bastianini he fits very well in the factory Ducati team.
“2022 was one of the best years for me, I got four wins and good races. But right now, there are many emotions for 2023: wearing these colors is a big responsibility, but I think we can do a good job. We can have fun.”
You raced against Bagnaia in minibikes, now you’re teammates: what’s the difference?
“The biggest one is that he is the MotoGP world champion and I’m not… Pecco was already very fast with minibikes, then we were also against you in Moto3, while in Moto2 we arrived at different times. Now he is the fastest in the world: you have to try to beat him”
Now that you’re teammates, will something change in your approach to racing?
“My approach with Pecco will always be the same: I wasn’t aggressive with him, I just did my race. Now we’re in the same box, but it doesn’t change”
Alex Marquez says the favorite is Marc…
“Marc is Marc: he has won eight world championships, it will be tough to beat him. But we have the potential to do it, Ducati is very competitive. But it’s not just Marquez: Quartararo, Martin, Mir and many others (he doesn’t mention Bagnaia just because he takes it for granted, NDA). Let’s see how it changes with the new format”
By the way: what do you think of the SprintRace?
“It’s one more motivation: it will be tough to do 42 races. It will be important to be consistent throughout the season: up until now I’ve had some problems in qualifying, but in 2022 I’ve improved in this respect. I think for me it will be very important to be faster in the first laps: I’m a bit of a “diesel”, it takes me a while to pick up the pace. Let’s see how it goes with this new adventure: I spoke at length with Bautista to understand what he could be ”
Did you change anything in the preparation?
“You always do something different, but the basis is more or less always the same. Nor should you overdo it, especially with bike training, you shouldn’t take too many risks”
How was the first approach with the GP23?
“Positive, but there isn’t a big difference: the difference between the GP19 used in 2021 and the GP21 used in 2022 was certainly greater. There the leap was big, I was able to really understand what Ducati’s potential is . As far as Rigamonti is concerned, the approach has certainly been positive: we need to be calm and have a good relationship, because in a championship like this it’s essential to feel good in the garage”
Is there something worrying you?
“Bagnaia knows what it means to manage the pressure of a factory team, I still don’t. But I’m not that worried”
