Bautista: Problem in qualifying ‘a pity, hasn’t been our best day in the office’

Bautista finished 22nd with only Joan Mir behind him after the 2020 MotoGP champion suffered a crash early on.

The WorldSBK champion had a fuelling issue with his bike in Q1 which was a big reason as to why he couldn’t improve late on.

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But Bautista was happy to have made improvements compared to Friday, telling MotoGP.com: “Today hasn’t been our best day in the office. In the morning, I improved my feeling with the bike.

“In FP2, we were quite competitive and on the pace with the used tyre. In qualifying, we had a small issue with the fuel. I couldn’t do the last time attack. 

“In the race, I had a problem at the start because the front fork didn’t lock. I had a bad start. Then, I felt it was a bit difficult to start the bike compared to the morning. 

“I went really long into the last corner, and I lost the chance to go with the other riders. It’s a pity because the feeling I had this morning was good. 

“I think I could be with the last group of riders in the Sprint. We have to keep the positives and try to make another step forward tomorrow.”

Bautista hopes of challenging for big points, something fellow Ducati riders Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin predicted he could do prior to the weekend, appears to be a stretch too far on his return to MotoGP.

But after getting his first taste of the new sprint format, something he’s accustomed to in WorldSBK, Bautista is aiming to get himself closer in the main race to the riders ahead of him.

Bautista added: “I enjoyed it. In the morning, I felt really good on the bike. I felt more competitive than Friday. 

“The problem we had in Qualifying was a pity because I think I could improve my lap time. 

“In the end, we are learning a lot very quickly during the weekend. I hope to make another step forward tomorrow and keep enjoying it.”