MotoGP made an intense return to Brazil and Enea Bastianini was one of the highlights by earning a point after a comeback race in Goiânia. Despite starting at the back of the grid, the Italian managed to react in extreme conditions and save the weekend for the team.
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The result gains even more weight given the context of the race, marked by intense heat and technical difficulties. With the asphalt reaching 51 degrees, the race was reduced from 31 to 23 laps, requiring even more physical and strategic control from the riders.
At the Ayrton Senna International Autodrome, in front of a crowd of around 60,000 people, Bastianini started from 22nd position alongside his teammate Maverick Viñales, who started in 20th. Both used a hard front tire and medium rear tire, in an attempt to balance performance and wear.
Right at the start, Bastianini gained two positions and took advantage of retirements from riders like Brad Binder, Francesco Bagnaia and Joan Mir to advance further in the field. Throughout the race, he alternated positions with Viñales and maintained a consistent pace to chase down competitors ahead.
In the final part of the race, the Italian managed to overtake Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and former champion Fabio Quartararo, securing 15th place and earning another point in the championship, after already scoring in the Thailand round.
“On the warm-up lap, I took a lot of stones because of the new asphalt and thought it would be very difficult to race like that. At the beginning it was painful, and I didn’t even expect to finish the race,” Bastianini commented. “In the slower sectors, with a lot of acceleration, we’re suffering a lot. My pace was close to Acosta’s, but starting behind it’s impossible to fight for better positions.”
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Viñales also tried to react after a complicated start, recovering positions in the opening laps. However, a mistake during the race compromised his progress, and the Spaniard crossed the finish line in just 18th.
For the Spanish rider, the weekend brought important lessons. “We had some positive points, but there’s still a lot of work to do, both on the bike and on myself. With softer tires, the rear pushes the front too much, which makes cornering difficult. We need to fix that,” he explained.
The team principal, Nicolas Goyon, highlighted that the Brazilian track exposed limitations of the KTM package. “It was a difficult weekend. The circuit highlighted a weak point that we need to improve. Still, both riders fought with what they had,” he stated.
Now, MotoGP heads directly to Austin, in the United States, where the Americas GP will be held between March 27 and 29. The team’s expectation is to find a more favorable scenario to evolve and fight for more competitive positions.
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