The Valencia test provided a final chance to watch the reigning class riders in action, including Pecco Bagnaia’s new Ducati factory team-mate, Enea Bastianini. The Italian was in the garage headed up by the new world champion for the first time, an emotional experience for a rider who has long worked towards this goal: "It’s wonderful and emotional to be dressed in red. This morning I was a little overwhelmed in the garage and couldn’t wait to see how it all works. In the end, it all went according to plan, except for my last run when I crashed, running over a pothole slightly off line. I’ve had a lot of fun anyway.”

Bastianini approves the GP23: "It allows me to be more consistent"

Being part of the factory team means tackling tasks that were not previously part of your remit, starting with the work of test rider, as the rider himself explains: "The testing work is something new. I did a little of it in Moto2 and Moto3 but it’s very different here”. The 25-year old appears convinced by the GP23, especially with regard to pace: "I think we’ve found something interesting we can use in future. The new bike is very precise, I can do the same things every lap and this surprised me”. The Italian then underlines the other differences with respect to when he was working in the Team Gresini garage: "There’s more people in the garage. At first, I tried to work on my own with my crew chief to quickly build feeling, and then we worked with Gigi Dall'Igna and the other guys. Having so many people listening to you is really great. They try to help with every aspect, relating to both me and the bike".

During the day, the two team-mates also had chance to speak to each other: "We talked to Pecco, it’s important that we have a good relationship as we need to develop a bike that allows us both to be fast. There was a great atmosphere in the garage today and being team-mate to the world champion gives me added motivation, something extra. I’m pleased Pecco is world champion, he deserved it”. Now it’s time for Bastianini to enjoy a holiday, but he has two goals for the winter: “I want to relax, as the season has been very tough, and then train hard too of course.”