When last year Alvaro Bautista and his Panigale V4 R won the first eleven races, few people believed Jonathan Rea capable of winning his fifth consecutive Superbike World Champion title. But the Spaniard stumbled and the Briton was crowned again.
To Scott Redding, who replaces Bautista who left for Honda this year, it was not the bike that was the cause of this disappointment. “The problem was Bautista himself,” Redding believes. “ He wanted to dominate. And he did it. It was impressive. This is how a rider of his caliber should win races in the World Superbike Championship. He had advantages due to his weight and top speed. But Johnny was very patient and intelligent. He always put pressure. »
“When Alvaro crashed for the first time at Jerez, he wanted to show once again that he could dominate. But he broke down again and became pensive. Then he fell again because he was thinking about it. His lead became smaller. Then he fell again. Johnny won many races and Alvaro was under pressure. »
“Then Álvaro found himself in a position where he wanted to save the Championship. If you want to save the Championship, then you're in trouble. My opinion is that it was his choice. He wanted to dominate and not just win. He wanted to finish with a lead of 15 seconds, not 1,5 seconds. For me, a win is a win. »
According to his teammate Chaz Davies, “At the beginning, Álvaro had great confidence in himself. It worked. It matched the bike very well. I am still convinced that this bike suits riders like Álvaro very well. Then, the more mistakes he made, the more his confidence diminished. As a result, he lost his lead. »
“He seemed to have difficulty explaining why he had fallen. It is difficult to maintain the high level of confidence he had at the start of the season. When things go wrong, you have to understand why you are falling. »
“I guess the problem was he didn't understand why he was falling. He did not understand. It is then difficult to find a way out of this situation,” says Davies. “But that’s just my opinion. It could have been otherwise. »
Photos © Ducati
Source: motorsport-total.com
