In the second practice, Bastianini went fastest and he was particularly quick in the last sector where no one was able to come close to him.

“I’m much happier today compared to last year!” Bastianini jokes. “But, well, the day did not start well for me because at the start the track was very, very dirty.”

“But at the end, in the second free practice, it was better, the grip was coming back, and it was possible to push more.”

“When I was in the box, comparing the data of other riders, the problem was, like in Qatar, the braking state. We have tried to do some modifications and in the end, it was better, especially with the soft tire.”

“I have made a really good time attack, and the pace is not bad, but we have to improve a little bit.”

The man from Rimini feels that he is fast in the fast-flowing sections, but braking has been the point of worry for the Italian, where he has usually struggled compared to his teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

“We have seen the problem during the Qatar race, [which] was the braking from the straight.”

“And it’s important because if you want to stay on top, you have to brake very, very late. And Pecco is one of the best to do these [braking] movements, and we will see what we can do.”

When asked about who he feels would be the biggest rivals for the weekend, Bastianini replied:

“For me, Marc [Marquez] was very fast today, and also Jorge Martin.”

“For me, these are the two riders during this GP, but let’s see because in MotoGP nothing is clear. I can change the cards, so let’s see.”