Alvaro Bautista returned to the world title thanks to a WSBK which he tackled this year by celebrating his reunion with a Ducati factory already surveyed in 2019. It was then his first year in World Superbike, a season where he first caused a sensation before giving up and heading to Honda for a big check and a two-year lease. Sports failure was at the end of the golden bridge and he made his way back to find success. The one who was 125 world champion in 2006 makes the inevitable comparison between the two categories of motorcycle speed. And guess who he grants his favors to?
Alvaro Bautista gave as much satisfaction to Ducati in WSBK that Pecco Bagnaia in MotoGP. The Panigale V4R now sits at the top of its food chain like the GP22 does in Grand Prix. A machine that the Spaniard would like to ride as a reward. But nothing is on the agenda at the moment to fill the successor of Carlos Checa, last pilot Ducati before him to have seized a crown in the discipline dedicated to motorcycles derived from the series.
If this were nevertheless done, it would be to satisfy a curiosity and not to spark a new vocation. Because listening to it, Baptist found his world. On GP One, he thus compares the two paddocks to express this feeling: “ I have the impression that, recently, all the MotoGP races have become much closer from a technical point of view. There is less difference between official motorcycles and satellite motorcycles. It seems to me that the limit is now set by the motorcycle, the pilot's hand is less visible. The practice times are all very close, but in the race they are one behind the other ».
Alvaro Bautista: “ in WSBK, there is a lot of overtaking«
The decline in the rider equation in overall performance is a subject increasingly addressed in MotoGP, including by its stars. Alvaro Bautista therefore registers on the list, as he takes his ticket to join the group which draws a parallel between MotoGP and another motorsport discipline… “ They make it similar to Formula 1 » he blurted out, to better signal this: “ there is less technology in SBK. Moreover, in MotoGP, it seems that all the bikes have all the same characteristics to go fast, while in SBK the Kawasaki has certain qualities, the Yamaha others and the Ducati still others. You can see where one bike is stronger and the other less ».
He also specifies: “ there is a lot of overtaking because in a lap one bike is better at certain points of the track and another at others, this allows the pilot to make a little more difference the Pirelli also allow us to take different trajectories, while it seems to me that the Michelin must be used in a certain way and when we try to do something more, we fall. In addition, the motorcycles move more and for this reason there are animations. From the outside, it seems to me that SBKs allow the rider more than MotoGP ».
However, Alvaro Bautista does not entirely reject the modern concept of Grands Prix. The proof… " I'd like to try the Desmosedici because it looks like a fun bike and, if I'm happy with it, I'll even do a Grand Prix. But it's not up to me » he said before ending with a prediction for next season: “ Marc Marquez is still not 100% even though he is already strong. If he manages to regain the level he had before, he will be able to fight at the front even if Honda is not at the top. bagnaia will have more serenity and confidence after this championship, to Quarterly it will depend a lot on the Yamaha and with only two bikes it will be more complicated. I do not forget bastianini who had already surprised me last year and who had an exceptional year in 2022, we will have to see what he will do in the official team »...
