Enea Bastianini has been backed by his Ducati boss to compete for tღhe 2024 MotoGP championship.

He was forced to watch on last season as factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia edged Pramac’s J𒀰orge Martin and VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi to win a second consecutive title.

It was Bastianini’s first season in factory red but ൲it✅ was blighted by injury, the first and most severe of which was suffered on the first weekend of 2023.

But Bastia🌺nini was the fastest rider on Day 2 o𒁏f the preseason Sepang test to lay down a marker that he could return to the title picture to join Bagnaia, Martin, Bezzecchi and maybe even Marc Marquez.

“Enea is absolutely over the moon,” said Ducꦚati team m🌟anager Davide Tardozzi.

“After the really bad year that he had last year - struggling for confidence with the bik𒐪e, all the injuries, the accident in the first race at Portimao - ꧟it was something really heavy on his shoulders.

“He had a good race here, winning in Mal🅠aysia, but he was struggling until the end in Valencia.

“Now, he’s another rider. 🎃He🍎 is the Enea Bastianini that we saw in 2022.

“We are really confident that he will be o🌄ne of the contenders.”

Bastianini, in 2022 with Gresini, won the second-most amount of grands prix behind Bagnaia. They fought wheel-to-wheel in the closing rounds to earn Bastianini a promotion to the factory team abov𝔉e Martin.

“I have 🥂to thank Pecco and Enea for they work in the team with the engineers,” Tardozzi said in Sepang.

“I see how many ideas 🍬they exchange between them. They talk about new parts.

“There is confidence bet🦹ween the two. This helps the enginee🍎rs.”

Broadcaster Simo🐓n Cra🍸far added: “You know the Enea that we saw at the race in Qatar, he won.

“Day 1 of the official test, that wa🧔s the Enea who turned up.

“Wow, he was straight-away on i🌳t! Some riders took half a day to get the rust off༺.

“Enea just turned up and bang!

“The new engine, he’s made friends with straight away. The new bik🔴e seems like it suits him b🦩etter.

“The 🍰big thing, for me, for Ducati? They seem confident with the whole package.

“It will only be little tweaks. But it looks like it woꩲrks.”

Tardozzi said about Ducati’s winter devܫelopment: “We d🌳on’t want to make a revolution as we did in 2022, when we were forced to run behind the problems of the first winter test.

“In 2022 and ‘23, we stꦇruggled. Now𝔍 we have learned from the past.

“Gigi and the guys did a fantastic job.”

Bastianini, Bagnaia and Martin have already insisted that tꦑhe GP24 fee🐈ls even better than last year’s bike, which dominated MotoGP.