Enea Bastianini turned his 20th MotoGP start in the Netherlands into a 9th place finish on Sunday, calling it "one of our best results" for KTM in the 2025 season. However, it was his overall experience riding the RC16 bike that gave the Italian rider the most optimism, especially when drafting behind others.
Bastianini explained, "It’s much easier to maneuver when I’m riding in a slipstream, but when I’m alone, I struggle to push. The bike feels heavy, and I end up losing time, which is a problem." Starting with a three-place grid penalty for interfering with Alex Lyns during qualifying, Bastianini recovered from 20th to 16th by the first lap and moved up to 9th by lap six out of 26.
Yet, once he was clear of traffic, Bastianini found he couldn’t maintain his pace and finished 9th, 16 seconds behind his Tech3 teammate Maverick Venares. Despite this, he called the race one of his best in terms of bike feel.
He added, “In the past, I could keep up with other KTM riders while riding in groups, but I lost time when riding alone during the middle of the race. I hope the team understands this issue so they can work on improving it.”
Leading a pack of five riders, Bastianini crossed the finish line ahead of pole sitter Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), Blood Binder (KTM), Johan Salko (Honda), Alex Lyns (Yamaha), and Jack Miller (Yamaha). His team manager, Nicholas Goyon, praised his performance, noting Bastianini’s frustration from starting in 20th but commending his effort to push through and finish ninth.
Goyon said, "Enea was mad yesterday because he knew starting P20 would make things tougher. But he pushed hard, leading the second group and moving from 20th to 9th by race end. After a short break, we’ll prepare for the German MotoGP and the upcoming doubleheader."
Meanwhile, Pedroa Costa finished fourth overall, marking the best KTM result of the day after a mid-race podium challenge.
Fan Take: This performance shows promising progress for KTM and Bastianini, highlighting their potential to compete seriously in the upcoming season. For racing fans, it signals exciting battles ahead and the importance of team strategy in overcoming technical challenges.
