Enea Bastianini has spoken honestly about why the 2025 MotoGP season was one of the hardest of his career. The Italian rider struggled badly in his first year riding KTM’s MotoGP bike and never felt truly comfortable.

Bastianini joined KTM’s Tech3 team for 2025 and rode a factory-spec RC16. He was partnered by Maverick Vinales, with both riders new to the team. For Bastianini, this was also his first time changing manufacturer in MotoGP, after spending several years racing with Ducati.

From the very first test in Valencia at the end of 2024, things did not feel right. Speaking in an interview during the Valencia test, Bastianini admitted that the KTM immediately felt very different.

“The adaptation to the bike was very complicated for me from the first test,” Bastianini said in an interview with MotoGP.com. “It wasn’t a shock, but very close to it, because the bike was very different from what I was used to.”

A heavy crash during that test, which badly damaged his bike, only made his early feeling worse.

When the season began in March, the problems continued. Bastianini often struggled on Fridays and Saturdays and could not find a good feeling with the bike early in the weekend. This left him starting races from poor grid positions.

Meanwhile, his team-mate Maverick Vinales adapted much faster. Before Vinales broke his shoulder at the German Grand Prix, Bastianini had scored only 42 points from the first 10 rounds, compared to Vinales’ 69.

There were a few moments of hope. Bastianini qualified fourth in Hungary and later finished on the podium in Barcelona. However, these results did not change the overall picture. He finished the season 14th in the championship with 112 points, far behind factory KTM rider Pedro Acosta, who scored 307 points.

This was a big drop compared to 2024, when Bastianini won two races and stood on the podium seven more times with Ducati. Even his rookie MotoGP season in 2021 was stronger, as he finished 11th with 102 points when there were fewer races and no sprint events.

Speaking to journalists after the season finale in Valencia, Bastianini admitted that the learning process with KTM had been harder than expected.

“Every weekend we had to change something to try to understand the bike,” he explained in an interview with Autosport. “Last year I knew exactly how to approach a race weekend. This year, the situation was never really clear.”

One clear pattern during the season was that Bastianini improved as the weekend went on. Fridays were usually very difficult, Saturdays slightly better, and Sundays often his strongest days. A good example was the final race in Valencia, where he started 20th but finished 10th thanks to strong race pace.

A key reason for this was tyre choice. Bastianini explained that he felt much more confident with the medium rear tyre, which is commonly used in full-distance races.

“With the soft tyre, the rear pushes the front and I can’t turn the bike,” he said during the Valencia test. “With the medium, I can slide more and I feel confident. Lap by lap, I improve.”

After the season ended, Bastianini hoped the post-season Valencia test would give him clear answers. He tested different bikes and parts, including a new chassis, but left Spain without full clarity.

“I still don’t completely understand the strong and weak points,” he said. “The only thing I’m sure about is that the new seat is more comfortable.”

Now, Bastianini is already looking ahead. Speaking after the test, he stressed that the Sepang pre-season test will be crucial as he enters the final year of his KTM contract.

“Sepang will be very important for me,” he told MotoGP.com. “I know I must work very hard. Those three days will be crucial for my future.”

For Bastianini, the 2026 season must be about confidence, clarity, and finally unlocking his true speed on the KTM.