Qualifying
After completing 12 laps in mixed conditions during FP2, Bastianini carried that momentum into Q2, keeping his composure on a damp-but-drying surface to go eighth-quickest aboard his #23 KTM RC16, despite suffering a fall on his final lap as conditions worsened. That grid position will improve to seventh for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Spain following a penalty applied to a rival ahead.

Sprint
A strong launch put Bastianini immediately in contention, and the Italian swiftly settled into a multi-bike battle just shy of the podium positions. After trading places with fellow KTM rider Brad Binder, ‘La Bestia’ gained a spot to seventh when Jorge Martín suddenly slowed, before joining a five-way fight for third. A close battle with Pedro Acosta followed, but all the while, the skies were darkening.

Rain began to fall and several front-runners came unstuck. The heavens then opened fully just as Bastianini passed pit entry, leaving him no option but to complete another lap on slicks in treacherous conditions. He kept the bike upright, but the time loss was decisive. He rejoined well down the order and crossed the finish line 11th.

The action concludes tomorrow with the weekend’s main event, the 25-lap Grand Prix, representing round four of the season and scheduled to get underway at 14:00 local time (UTC+2).

Enea Bastianini: “When the track was dry during the Sprint, we were competitive and I was able to gain some positions – I was up to sixth, and we were fighting to move even further forward – but midway through, it began to rain more, which made things difficult. In conditions like that, it’s always a bit of a game of roulette. When I switched bikes, I went onto the one I had crashed at the end of qualifying; the Tech3 guys put in a lot of energy to re-assemble it for which I’m super grateful, but with the lack of time available, it probably wasn’t 100 per cent. Our final position was obviously disappointing because we had been fighting for something more, but the big race is tomorrow and we’ll target the top five again.”

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “We have a bitter taste in our mouths today. Enea did a great job. He qualified eighth, which is his best of the season so far, and we all expected a good Sprint race. He made a bright start, showed excellent pace again and was inside the top six when the rain began to intensify. Unfortunately, the big shower came as he was in the last corner, so it was too late to pit and then he had to survive another lap on slicks on a fully wet track. When he finally swapped bikes, it was already too late. We have to focus on the positives for tomorrow, when he will start the Grand Prix from seventh. All the ingredients are in place for a strong end to the weekend.”