The Italian has endured a torrid maiden marketing campaign for the crew, which has been blighted by damage and an issue in adapting his driving fashion to the 2023 bike.
With Pramac’s Jorge Martin simply 11 factors behind Francesco Bagnaia within the championship battle, there have been options he might be swapped with Bastianini for 2024 if he wins the title – with Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti confirming at Sepang that this is a possibility.
However Bastianini went on to have his finest weekend at Sepang since final 12 months’s Malaysian GP, qualifying third and ending fourth within the dash earlier than happening to win Sunday’s principal race.
Requested whether or not he felt his win was a “huge message” to Ducati amid the rumours, Bastianini stated: “Yeah, I don’t know if it’s an enormous message or a small message. Huge might be if I win the remainder of the races.”
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Bastianini’s woes started in Portimao, the place he suffered a damaged shoulder in a dash collision which pressured him out of the next 4 rounds.
He returned at Mugello earlier than one other crash in Barcelona noticed him endure fractures to his left ankle and hand.
The Ducati rider made his second comeback in Indonesia, and this weekend’s win brings his factors tally to 76 for the season.
Talking after the race, he stated “the beast is again,” including: “It’s implausible after this s**t season for me to reach at this victory.
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Enea Bastianini, Ducati Staff
“Additionally it was sudden, as a result of we began the weekend with a unique thoughts, as a result of we needed to perceive what the answer was.
“My crew chief referred to as me one week in the past and stated ‘I do know what I would like, I’ve checked the information with the lap instances and I do know what you want’.
“On the finish it was like this, have promised this and arrived this nice outcome. Additionally was sufficient to win as a result of yesterday [in Saturday’s sprint] I see my tempo and perceive that ‘okay, tomorrow you possibly can win’.
“This morning it was quick and my goal was solely to be first on the first nook after which keep like this and push like a bastard for all of the race.”
His team-mate Bagnaia at present leads the standings on 412 factors with two rounds remaining, with Martin on 398 and VR46 Ducati’s Marco Bezzecchi in third.