«Style Defines the Person Too» - A interview with Enea Bastianini We met Police's newest ambassador on the eve of the Misano's Grand Prix

The motorsport weekend has an aesthetic of its own, one that goes far beyond the cars and bikes flying down the asphalt during the main race, the Sprint or qualifying sessions. There is the entire paddock ecosystem, where hundreds of people working in the industry move frenetically beneath the polychromatic umbrellas of sponsors, all converging towards the obvious focal point: the riders. They are the ones the cameras zoom in on, the protagonists of the show and, consequently, true style icons and trendsetters capable of influencing entire crowds. In the case of Enea Bastianini, the MotoGP rider currently racing for Red Bull KTM Tech3 and a "big fan of eyewear", this aesthetic agency comes through Police, De Rigo's house brand, which has chosen him as its new ambassador.

"I see myself in Police's values and identity. I like fashion, I really like eyewear, and this brand suits my personality very well", Bastianini explained, describing it as something of a love at first sight. "It was a collaboration that came together very quickly, with the first shoot happening straight away", an opportunity he described as "really great" to showcase the Police Unlocked collection, with the SPLU77, SPLU78 and SPLU79 models worn by the rider. Bastianini himself likes "changing my glasses a lot, completing different situations with a different model depending on how everyday life changes", although his favourite pair for race day remains the SPLU77, "with slightly square and elongated shapes, a model they customised for me with the words Bestia 23". Eyewear has become increasingly present in an environment like MotoGP, packed with distinctive personalities, where, according to Bastianini, "every rider has their own style, and mine matches Police's. In the end, having a style also defines the person to some extent, right?".

The new ambassador for De Rigo's house brand is not making a random observation. Bastianini has built up considerable experience in the world championship, beginning his journey in Moto3 in 2014 and making the step up to MotoGP in 2021, giving him enough perspective to recognise what has been a significant shift in motorsport's approach to style. "Maybe we used to be a bit more over the top, then obviously you grow up and things change", the rider explained, before continuing: "For example, when I'm at the track, I prefer to dress in a very sporty way, but at home I also like going for something more elegant, following trends – although I'm probably not really a shirt kind of guy, that's for sure. The other riders dress well too, they have increasingly stylish accessories, so I think there has definitely been a step forward".

At this point, it was impossible not to ask whether there was at least one of his colleagues whose style Bastianini might envy. No name emerged from MotoGP – "maybe Fabio Quartararo", albeit with some reservations – but his main reference in motorsport remains "obviously Lewis Hamilton, the one who created the most hype in Formula 1. He went against the grain, he was the first to really bring style into a motorsport environment, so I think Lewis will always have that extra gear". Recognising the British driver as a pioneer of a trend spreading rapidly throughout motorsport, a sector increasingly embracing luxury fashion with brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton, shows Bastianini's sharp understanding of the wider cultural context.

His clear-eyed analysis was confirmed by his next comment, according to which "with Liberty Media coming into our world, there will be more and more showmanship, and the personalities of each rider will increasingly come to the forefront. Maybe at the beginning it was something that caused a bit of embarrassment – not exactly embarrassment, but it wasn't expressed through the way we dressed, which was still very basic. Now the world is moving forward and fashion is playing an increasingly important role in our industry, and I think that's something that will keep progressing, not going backwards. In fact, I think we'll see more and more fashion in the paddock". The mass media company he refers to, which has transformed Formula 1 since its 2016 acquisition, turning it into a global entertainment brand, also acquired MotoGP through Dorna Sports (now MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group) just last year, ushering in a new era aimed at significantly raising the bar for sports business in motorcycle racing.

While that future still appears relatively distant, the weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is much closer. A special occasion for an Italian rider, even more so for someone born in Rimini and living in San Marino for years – precisely the places from which the upcoming Grand Prix takes its name. Even after all these years, "Misano is a special track", Bastianini genuinely said, before explaining why: "First of all because that's where I got my first World Championship victory in 2015, and also because I really love it. I've lived in San Marino for five years, so it has become my home Grand Prix in every sense, the one for the Rimini Riviera and San Marino, where I was born and where I'm growing up. That's why, obviously, you always want to give something extra at your home Grand Prix, so I'll try to prepare for it in the best possible way, enjoy it from beginning to end, and then we'll see the results".

Beyond these expectations, which make the anticipation increasingly frenetic, it is natural to wonder whether there are any forms of psychological micromanagement that can help ease the tension. The Police ambassador, for example, "apart from the starter pack with glasses, tablet and watch", always carries "some lucky stuffed toys, a little monkey and a teddy bear". Outside the paddock, meanwhile, he likes to alternate more adrenaline-fuelled sports, such as skiing in winter, with dynamic activities like diving and gymnastics, which he practised when he was younger, as well as a more relaxing discipline such as fishing, a passion for which he tries to "always make a little time, so I can dedicate a few hours to it".

All details that help reveal both Enea Bastianini's personality and the person behind the rider, although in this case they are anything but a defence mechanism against adrenaline-fuelled tension. Instead, the rider candidly admits to embracing it, as any true thrill-seeker would. After all, "relaxing at your home Grand Prix isn't easy, although for me it's the most exciting weekend. It will be intense, full of events, so I always look forward to this weekend with anticipation and can't wait for it to arrive".

So there is plenty of optimism heading into Misano, with the KTM rider arriving on the back of a major comeback at the Aragón GP, where he pulled off the kind of recovery that "hadn't happened to me for a while. We managed to do it by fixing two or three things, and finally we put together a good race". The perfect opportunity, then, to see the best version of Enea Bastianini, who will take to the track in front of his home crowd with the mood he himself summed up in three words when asked to describe it: "original and stylish, but with the Bestia touch".