The MotoGP rider faced a challenging season in 2023. In the Portuguese Grand Prix, he suffered complex injuries that kept him out for several months.
The latter part of the season showed a considerably more positive performance, including a victory in the Malaysian GP. This demonstrated that despite the tumultuous period, the Ducati rider still has the capabilities to compete at the top.
In an interview with Sky Italia MotoGP, Bastianini talked about two key moments for him in 2023, one particularly challenging on a psychological level:
– There were two critical moments. The recovery from the shoulder injury concerned me a lot. I couldn’t regain strength; sometimes my arm would go numb on the bike, something that had never happened to me before. Things improved since Barcelona, but I had a setback. I was in a wheelchair for 20 days; I was very angry, didn’t want to talk to anyone, didn’t want to do anything. I hit rock bottom, but from there, everything became easier, and it was good to be myself again.