“Portimao the perfect place” for Enea Bastianini MotoGP qualifying rebound

The last time MotoGP raced at Portimao, in early 2024, Enea Bastianini claimed pole position as a factory Ducati rider before finishing second behind Jorge Martin in the grand prix.

Returning this weekend as a Tech3 KTM rider, the Italian badly needs to rediscover that time-attack form after qualifying inside the top ten at only three of his 19 events this season.

Bastianini’s average grid position is 16th, and he hasn’t started higher than 17th in the last five rounds.

But his race pace was underlined last time in Malaysia, where he charged from 19th to seventh.

“We are arriving at Portimao with the confidence of two solid races in both Australia and Malaysia,” said Bastianini, who shared the 2024 Portimao podium with KTM rookie Pedro Acosta.

“Looking at last season, the KTM was fast here, so it is encouraging for us, but we know that we are still missing something in qualifying.

“I hope that we will find a way to be more competitive on one lap, and hopefully, we can try to qualify for the second or third row, which should make our life easier!"

Tech3 has a strong history at Portimao, having won the inaugural Portuguese MotoGP with home hero Miguel Oliveira in 2020 as well as Acosta’s maiden premier-class podium.

“The Tech3 team has very good memories at this track, since Miguel Oliveira won the first edition of the Portuguese GP with us back in 2020 on the KTM, and Pedro Acosta took his maiden MotoGP podium there with us last season,” said team manager Nicolas Goyon.

“Our bike has always been strong on this track, we had three KTMs in the top five in 2024, which makes us believe we have the tools to fight at the front this year.

“Enea will arrive in good shape with two strong races in the bag, and we know he’ll be determined to improve qualifying. Portimao can be the perfect place to do it, since he started from pole there in 2024.”

With Maverick Vinales still recovering from shoulder surgery, KTM MotoGP test rider Pol Espargaro will again join Bastianini in the Tech3 line-up this weekend.