SBK | Bautista: “Ducati talks to my manager, but my future is unclear”

On the eve of the Donington round, the rider market is in full swing and sees Alvaro Bautista as the “market man”. In fact, many decisions for 2025 will depend on the decision of the reigning world champion. But when will he decide on his future plans? Uncertainty still reigns supreme and Bautista himself revealed that he still doesn’t have a clear idea.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati standard bearer is currently busy rediscovering the positive sensations aboard his Panigale V4R. Starting this year, the regulatory changes that imposed the minimum weight have caused the Spaniard to suffer, as he is adapting to a different and more complicated bike. However, up until the Misano round he was the world championship leader, a sign that he is giving his all to make up for the shortcomings with his riding and experience.

Arriving at Donington, Bautista doesn’t have great expectations, even though he won the two long races last year: “In the past, this track has been a bit tough for Ducati, but in the last two years we have been competitive. Especially last year we won two races, but every year is different. This year we are not in our best moment with the bike, we don’t have the same feedback as last year and we struggle with the feeling”.

“We struggled a lot at the last race in Misano and this year I don’t expect to dominate like last season,” explained Bautista, who arrives in Donington as a pursuer with a 21-point gap from leader Toprak Razgatlioglu. Therefore, the main objective is not so much to think about the future yet, but to regain confidence on the Ducati.

“Our goal is to get back to having a good feeling with the bike, if I can have fun and ride the way I want, we can be competitive. The goal is not to fight for the title again, but to get the feeling back, to have fun. Then we’ll see. Donington is not an easy track, it’s very tricky, with a lot of ups and downs, but we’ll do our best. At the moment, I don’t feel like I’m having as much fun on the bike as I have in the past,” explained the Spaniard.

These goals could be key in deciding on his future. Will he continue? Will he do it with Ducati? There is still a lot of uncertainty about Bautista’s 2025, who has no news compared to what he said in Misano, the scene of the last race held now a month ago.

“I know that Ducati is talking to my manager, but my decision is not clear. I know that they are preparing for every possible scenario, so that when I make my decision, they will be ready. I know that they are talking, in case I decide. But the priority is to find the feeling with the bike that would allow me to continue racing,” explained the reigning champion.