WSBK round table Álvaro Bautista: “the championship is different: neither better, nor worse, just different”

At 35 years old, the Spanish rider from Talavera de la Reina has come a long way since his minimoto debut at the age of 5. After 67 Grands Prix in 125 cm3 and the title of World Champion in 2006, Álvaro competed in 49 GPs in 250 (with 8 victories) and 158 in MotoGP (with 3 podiums) on Suzuki (2010 and 2011), Honda Gresini (2012 to 2014), Aprilia Gresini (2015 and 2016) and Ducati Aspar (2017 and 2018).

The door to MotoGP having closed, despite a 4th place at Phillip Island and a 5th at Motegi in 2018, Bautista headed to WSBK where he supremely won the first 2019 races in 11 on the all-new Panigale V4 R. He finished second in the Championship, then left Ducati where his teammate Chaz Davies was better paid than him.

Álvaro then attempted the great adventure with Honda this year, with two honorable sixth places at Phillip Island. He occupies sixth place in the provisional standings with 20 points, tied with Loris Baz, and ahead of Chaz Davies, his Honda teammate Leon Haslam, and Tom Sykes.

We know it's not easy for a rider to be at Ducati, there are always problems. What happened to you, why did you decide to go to Honda?

“I was very happy with my team. I think the Aruba team could do very well in MotoGP as well. I want to thank them for everything they have done for me. I decided to change, because Honda motivated me a lot, they showed great confidence in me, they made me feel that it was important to win, they involved me in the project. I'm sorry for the Aruba team, but we are riders and we have to think about ourselves: at that moment, for me, Honda was the best choice" explained Bautista during the “MotoGP Round Table” #7 by Franco Bobbiese (Italy), Mat Oxley (UK), Michel Turco (France), Manuel Pecino (Spain) and Giovanni Zamagni (Italy).

Do you suggest Petrucci move to SBK?

“When I was in MotoGP, when Dall'Igna was in SBK, he called me every day to race there. But I only thought about MotoGP. Now that I'm in SBK, I can say that the championship is different: neither better, nor worse, just different. In SBK, I won, I found great stimuli: I don't know what Petrucci thinks about it, but it's sure it's a good championship. »

You have always driven a V4 at Suzuki, Honda, Aprilia and Ducati in MotoGP, then the V4 Ducati in SBK. Do you now like the Honda inline 4-cylinder?

“Everyone says the inline four is easier to drive; I honestly can't say if it's easier or harder, it's definitely different. To me, it's more of a 2-stroke, with immediate throttle response, whereas the V4 has a smoother response. I have to adapt my driving style, it's a little more complicated than I thought. »

You are the only one to have ridden 4 different MotoGP bikes: which one did you like the most?

“Making a comparison is difficult, because every year the bikes change a lot. For me, the bike with the most potential was the Suzuki, also because I could work closely with the factory. I was making my debut in MotoGP, I had to learn everything, but in the second season I was strong in the winter, but I injured my leg in the first race. It was a shame, I think we could have done very well: I would have liked to have had more time with Suzuki, but then they left the GPs. »

“Then, the following year, I moved to Honda, with the 1000 engine, very different, with the bike already at a very good level. »

« Aprilia : The first year I rode road bikes, then at the end of the second year I was able to fight for sixth, seventh place.

"With Ducati, I didn't have an official bike, but when I used Lorenzo's Desmosedici in Australia, I saw great potential: it was incredible to overtake so many riders on the straights..."

You have used Bridgestone, Michelin and Pirelli tires: can you make a comparison and explain how the driving style has changed?

“There is a big difference between the three manufacturers. Bridgestone had its strong point in the front tire: you had a good feeling, you could push hard from start to finish, you had good speed. But it was difficult to manage the rear, it took a few laps to warm it up. If we pushed when leaving the pits, we suddenly fell without being able to do anything. Then they got better. »

"With Michelin , it's the opposite: you have a good feeling at the rear and little confidence at the front. The rear tire is pushing the front a lot and this is putting him in crisis. The bikes were made for Bridgestone: with Michelin, you have to stop the bike well before entering the turns. »

" With the Pirelli, the feeling is completely different: at first, it seemed to me that the bike was moving a lot, but beyond that, you have a great feeling with the bike. We feel the front, we feel the limit, we feel when we lose the front: I prefer them, they go well in all conditions, hot, cold, mixed. I don't know if it's because Bridgestone and Michelin are made for prototypes and therefore they have to be stiffer, but with Pirelli I feel much more comfortable. »

Let's go back to 2019: we didn't understand what happened. You had a good start, you won again and again, then you didn't win again, then you came back to win... And then, what was Rea's strong point?

“At first it was a surprise when I won a lot of races in a row and then to have all these problems… At first I didn't make any changes, I was just trying to understand the bike: when we started trying a lot of things on the bike to improve, we lost the right direction, I lost a bit of confidence, then there was the crash at Laguna Seca with shoulder problems. »

“I no longer had the same confidence; then on some circuits we were able to find the right configuration but we had difficulty. As for Rea, he was good at the start, when I won, he remained calm and always tried to finish second. He gained confidence in himself and in his bike, he has a lot of experience and made the most of the circuits that I didn't know. There were several factors: we lost the right direction, and he was very patient. »

In SBK you have three races in two days: how is this different from MotoGP? In your opinion, will doing two races on the same circuit, as MotoGP will do this year, change anything?

“The difference is big: it was weird, because at the beginning for me, Saturday was reserved for qualifying, I wasn't prepared for the race... But I like this pattern a lot more, because you have the Chance of Revenge: If you make a mistake in a race, you have the chance to make up for it immediately. »

“From a physical point of view it doesn't change much, but there is a big difference from a psychological point of view: in SBK you have to 'reset' yourself after a race, you can't get discouraged or excited too much, because you have to prepare for the next round. As for MotoGP, I don't think it will change that much. »

In 2019 you got off to a good start and inevitably the title became the goal; this year I think it's a little different, are the perspectives changing?

“It’s a new project: to win races and championships, we have to develop the bike. We need more time, but the potential is high. If we start the season we might be at a disadvantage, having a lot of new material, but HRC is working hard, also according to the data collected in Australia. »

How involved is Honda in the SBK?

“Honda is back in the World Championship because this new bike is very important. They are very involved in this project, the basis of the team is the same as in MotoGP: they want to win, they push hard, they assured me that they are working for that. »

Do you plan to do the 8 Hours?

" Not yet. For now, Honda hasn't asked me anything, but if they do, I'll think about it, because I think every rider should do them at least once. »

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWbPncOiEr4



Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam

Honda CBR1000RR-R Team HRC

Bautista in TT:

Photos © Honda Racing