QUALIFYING
After experimenting with a number of engine brake settings on Friday, Bastianini was closer to a preferred set-up on Saturday. Strong through Brno’s downhill second sector, the Italian almost matched the top speed set at this circuit in Q1. But he found a lot of traffic in the closing minutes of the session, which meant he could place no higher than seventh and 17th on the grid. 

Buoyed by a strong Friday performance, Viñales confirmed the improved feeling in his left shoulder in FP2, when he set the third fastest time. Yet consistently pushing the bike to its limits, the 31-year-old Spaniard felt some fatigue by the time Qualifying started. Even if he set his fastest lap of the weekend in Q1, he finished the session in third and was unable to progress through to Q2. Still, 13th was his best Qualifying result since last June’s Dutch Grand Prix.

SPRINT
Temperatures continued rising for the ten-lap Sprint, which kicked off at 15:00 local time. With track temperatures just shy of 60 degrees, tyre choice was not a given. Both Bastianini and Viñales opted for Michelin’s medium compound rear, the same strategy taken by all four KTM riders, while nine others pressed on with the soft.

The first lap was a good one for ‘La Bestia’ as he jumped an incredible five places half-way around. The Italian wasn’t done there and gained three further places to complete a hectic first lap in ninth. 

The number 23 KTM RC16 then had one second to make up to Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez ahead. While he couldn’t quite bridge that gap, crashes for Pedro Acosta (lap six) and Marco Bezzecchi (lap nine) saw Bastianini gain two more positions as he came home an impressive seventh. 

Like his team-mate, Viñales benefited from the superb starting capabilities of his KTM RC16 to gain three places on the run to Turn 1. Knowing his rhythm over a longer distance was strong, the Spaniard was settling in for a fight. But moments after Diogo Moreira crashed out at Turn 12, Viñales lost the front on the white line on the inside of the same turn. While Viñales was unable to restart the race, he remains positive about the progress he has made throughout the weekend.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 will be back in action tomorrow for the main event of the Grand Prix of Czechia. Both Viñales and Bastianini will seek to rise up the order over 21 laps when the main race kicks off at 14:00 (UTC+2).

Enea Bastianini: “Qualifying didn’t go to plan. Normally I ride alone, but I was just behind Jorge Martin, who was already through (to Q2) and during my second flying lap I found a lot of traffic. I think it would’ve been possible for me to go through. Anyway, sometimes it’s like this. 

“I was able to save the Sprint after. The start wasn’t so good, but I recovered some positions just after. I was a bit lucky as I saw many crashes in front of me on the first lap. After, I got down to my pace and came home in seventh. We got some good information with the medium rear tyre, which will be important for tomorrow. I’m happy with the result and the confidence I had with the bike. But we’re still missing something.”

Maverick Viñales: “On the first lap I just touched the white line and crashed. It’s okay. I’m finding the limits with the bike. I’m happy overall with the day and it’s been a really positive weekend. Today I pushed to the limits and, honestly, I already felt exhausted in FP2, but it’s good that I feel this way as it means I’m building my strength. I need to keep building up and this is the way.

“The best thing is I understand the bike better. It’s a bike you can manage really well with the brakes. Also, here there are a few corners where I can carry a lot of speed. But when the weekend progresses the feeling changes. Yesterday we had a really nice balance. Today the grip on the track improved and the balance wasn’t as good. Then you can’t hit the apex in the same way. This is something we can work on.”

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “Mixed fortunes for Tech3 today. Enea was blocked this morning. In Q1 he could have improved his position, but he only qualified in a disappointing 17th position. But he had a good start and rode at an interesting pace. We saw a strong Enea today. Even considering all the crashes we had, he managed to survive and seventh position is a strong result. This gives us some hope for tomorrow’s main race.

“On the other side, I’m pretty pleased with Maverick’s performance. He’s clearly made a step up in this round and he really looks like the Maverick we had in the first part of last year. He controls his bike more and seems to be riding like he used to last year. He failed to go through into Q2, but he qualified in 13th position. Unfortunately, he had an early crash in the Sprint, so we’ll only see his potential tomorrow for the main race. We’re hoping he can score some strong points for the first time this season.”