The Ducati Lenovo Team has scored a third-place finish in today’s race at the Circuit of The Americas courtesy of an excellent performance of Enea Bastianini, who built speed upon speed in the final part of the race. Francesco Bagnaia was fifth after a good first part of the race, while in the latter stages of the race, the reigning World Championship had more of a challenging time.
After a good start, which saw him second at turn one, Bastianini then lost some ground and found himself in seventh place during lap seven. The Rimini-born rider once again showed all his competitiveness in the second half of the race as he bridged the gap with the front runners and overtook his teammate with eight laps left. The third place came at the penultimate lap, as Enea was able to edge Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing) before pulling away and crossing the line in third position.
Bagnaia escaped early drama after a coming together with Martín and Viñales at the start and from sixth place, he made his way to second during lap six, before losing three position in the following laps. From then on, Pecco had to ride defensively while losing ground from the leading pack but was still able to finish fifth.
As the third Grand Prix of the season draws to a close, Bastianini is currently second in the championship standings – led by Jorge Martín – with 59 points, with Bagnaia fifth and nine points shy of his teammate. The Ducati Lenovo Team sits atop the team standings (96 points) while Ducati leads the manufacturers standings (109 points).
The next Grand Prix on the calendar will take place at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in a fortnight’s time (April 26-28).
Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
“It was a great race and I’m super happy for the podium, especially after a so and so weekend. I got a good start and wanted to stay with the frontrunners, but I ended up losing some positions also due to the fact that I struggled a bit with the front-end while riding within the pack. In the second part – which is kind of my specialty – I managed to bounce back and be fast, which allowed me to finish on the podium. I would have obviously liked to win, but we cannot be but happy with this result.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#1 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5th
“I was feeling good in the first six laps and was battling with the front group, but then I started to experience some issues. The bike was moving a lot at the front and I was feeling some vibrations at the rear, so I had to ride defensively. It was hard, but we need to stay calm, understand the situation and try to finish every race in the best possible position. When the right time comes, we will attack.”
- From Ducati Media House
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