Crew chief Alberto Giribuola compares Enea Bastianini with Andrea Dovizioso – Bastianini rides more with feeling, while Dovizioso has often thought too much
With two wins in the first four MotoGP races of the 2022 season, Enea Bastianini has made his breakthrough in the premier class. The Italian also leads the World Championship standings before the start of the European season. In the Gresini team, “La Bestia” rides a 2021 Ducati Desmosedici.
Since his MotoGP debut last year, Bastianini has been looked after by Alberto Giribuola as crew chief. The Italian previously worked with Andrea Dovizioso for years. “Dovi” has already said that Giribuola has played an important role in Bastianini’s successes.
Giribuola also sees parallels between Dovizioso and Bastianini. “I think they are very similar because their riding style is focused on the braking phase and they can use the front tyre on the limit,” Giribuola told ‘Autosport’.
“I see similarities with Andrea in this respect. For me, it’s also easier to understand what to do with the bike because I have that history. They ride more differently on corner exit.”
“Enea always stays strong on the limit of the rear tyre. ‘Dovi’ was sometimes a bit more aggressive. For example, in Argentina we had difficulties because there are some corners there where you have to let the rear tyre spin to steer.”
“Enea struggled a bit with that. That’s why it was a difficult race, but we managed it,” Giribuola described. Bastianini is considered a natural. Dovizioso has earned a reputation for being an analyst. How does the crew chief see it?
“I think Enea has improved a lot since the beginning of the year. He has worked on himself. He stays calm and analyses the situation and the set-up. He has made a step, which is very nice. Andrea was more analytical.”
“Sometimes he thought too much and really thought about all aspects. Enea relies more on his feeling. He can describe exactly what he feels in each curve. With that, I can understand what is necessary and what we need to do. “
With the old GP21, Bastianini has 30 more World Championship points under his belt than the best Ducati rider with a GP22. That’s Jack Miller in seventh place. Is there really a big difference between these two models?
“Enea has a lot of confidence with the front wheel. He uses the front tyre to the maximum. Because of that, he gains a lot at the entrance of the corner. If he does that, he can save the rear tyre on the exit of the corner,” Giribuola describes. “That is the difference. I don’t think we have a worse package compared to 2022. “
