The Le Mans Grand Prix did not start in the best way for Enea Bastianini, who crashed in pre-qualifying while attempting a time-attack. The Ducati rider finished 11th and will have to go through Q1, where he will face two tough rivals like Marc Marquez and Brad Binder. The French stage could already be crucial for his future: the MotoGP rider market is running out of time and it won’t be easy to reconfirm himself in the Borgo Panigale factory team. The arrival of Marc Marquez is taken for granted by reliable sources, the Beast is headed towards Aprilia. Double announcement at Mugello?
Does Le Mans condemn Bastianini?
The first day on the French circuit is all in all positive, the pace is there and he remained outside the top-10 by a handful of thousandths. A result that certainly angers the ‘Beast’, but on Saturday they will have to put aside all resentment to get into a good starting position. Once again it is Jorge Martin who is explosive on the flying lap, the main opponent to win his seat for the next MotoGP championship. But on the waiting list there is also Marc Marquez, who is so tempting for Ducati also for marketing reasons. The fall comes at the least opportune moment for Enea, his manager Carlo Pernat also knows this well.
By the end of the month, teams and managers would like to have clear ideas on the rider line-up for the next MotoGP season. “Q1 won’t be easy against Binder and Marquez, but I’m confident because this morning (Friday, ed.) it was going very fast“. A good result at Le Mans proves useful both to continue hoping for a (very unlikely) reconfirmation by Ducati and to open up to another brand. “Hope is still there and it is not remote – remarked Pernat to Sky Sport MotoGP -. Obviously there are three riders… Nothing has been announced yet, decisions have not been made yet. For the future we need a good race, both in the Sprint and on Sunday, this is evident“.
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Photo by Adrien Poupeau
