MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Enea Bastianini revealed he struggled with a mysterious instability problem on his Tech3 KTM during the opening round of the 2026 MotoGP season at the Thai Grand Prix in Buriram.
Despite the issue, the Italian rider managed to salvage points by finishing in 12th place. The result made Bastianini the only rider from the Tech3 squad to score points during the team’s first race weekend in the post-Hervé Poncharal era.
However, Bastianini explained that the race was particularly challenging due to severe instability on the straights.
“The race was complicated because the movements on the straight were difficult to manage,” Bastianini said.
“Sometimes when we shifted into fifth gear, the bike was shaking a lot.”
According to the Italian rider, the issue first appeared earlier in the weekend and the team has yet to determine its exact cause.
“That problem has been happening since yesterday and we cannot explain it.”
Nevertheless, Bastianini believes there was a slight improvement compared to the previous sessions, even if the progress was limited.
“Aside from that issue, I think we improved a little compared to yesterday’s race, but not too much, to be honest.”
A repeat of his qualifying struggles from last season left Bastianini starting the race from 20th on the grid. However, effective tyre management allowed him to gradually move through the field during the race.
He eventually claimed 12th place from rookie Diogo Moreira on the penultimate lap.
Bastianini explained that tyre performance remained relatively stable for most of the race, although it dropped significantly in the closing stages.
“My tyre situation at the end wasn’t too bad.”
“Only in the last two laps it dropped a lot and started spinning on the straight.”
Even so, he felt the tyre degradation was slightly less severe than that experienced by several other riders.
“I think it was a bit better compared to the others.”
Bastianini added that tyre management has traditionally been one of his strengths and helped him recover positions late in the race.
“That’s one of my characteristics, and I think it helped save the race because I improved my position in the last five laps.”
Despite the late recovery, Bastianini crossed the finish line 23.386 seconds behind race winner Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia.
He was also approximately 18 seconds behind fellow KTM rider Pedro Acosta, who finished second.
Even with retirements for riders such as Marc Marquez and Joan Mir, Bastianini still finished three positions lower than he had at the same race last year.
“The time gap on track is similar to last year, but last year the final result was better.”
“This year it’s worse.”
Bastianini admitted he was not satisfied with his current performance level, particularly given the expectations he had entering the season.
“I cannot really be happy with my job at the moment because my expectations were higher compared to last year.”
He also suggested that the team needs to reassess its approach moving forward.
“I think we need to change something in our work, because I can’t be satisfied.”
Meanwhile, his Tech3 team-mate Maverick Viñales endured an even more difficult weekend, finishing outside the points with results of 19th and 16th.
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