Enea Bastianini was left battling a mysterious instability problem during the Thai MotoGP season opener.
The Tech3 KTM rider still managed to salvage points with 12th place, making him the only rider from the squad to score during Tech3’s first race weekend in its post-Herve Poncharal era.
However, Bastianini said a shaking issue on the straights made the race especially difficult.
“The race has been complicated because the movements on the straight were difficult to manage, and sometimes when we put fifth gear the bike was very shaking,” he explained.
“That problem has been happening since yesterday and we cannot explain that. But that problem aside, I think we have improved a little bit compared to yesterday’s race, but not too much, to be honest.”
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A repeat of last year’s qualifying struggles left the Italian starting 20th on the grid, but his tyre management allowed him to climb through the field.
Bastianini snatched 12th place from rookie Diogo Moreira on the penultimate lap.
“My tyre situation at the end was not so bad, just the last two laps it dropped a lot and was spinning on the straight, but I think less compared to the others,” he said.
“That is my characteristic and I think I saved a bit the race, because I’ve improved also my position in the last five laps.”
KTM lap times during the 2026 Thai MotoGP vs Aprilia race winner Marco Bezzecchi.
© Peter McLaren
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Despite the late recovery, Bastianini crossed the line 23.386s behind race winner Marco Bezzecchi and 18 seconds adrift of KTM’s runner-up Pedro Acosta.
Even with retirements for Marc Marquez and Joan Mir, the Italian still finished three places lower than at the same race last year.
“[The time gap] on the track is similar to last year. But last year, at the end, the result was better,” he said.
“This year it’s worse. I cannot be really happy about my job at the moment, because my expectation was higher compared to last year.
“I think we need to change something in our work, because I can’t be satisfied.”
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Team-mate Maverick Vinales endured an even worse MotoGP weekend, finishing outside the points in 19th and 16th places, respectively.
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