At 40, the situation ofAlvaro Bautista is complicated, the 125cc world champion and double champion Superbike having no positive outlook for 2026. Almost forced to hope to stay at Aruba.it at the cost of a significant salary cut, to defend his cause, he attacks...
He attacks the current regulations, which impose a 7 kilo ballast on him due to his minimal weight, with very strong words, judging in an interview given to AS that the regulation both puts his life in danger and prevents him from finding a place for next season.
« We analyzed the data with Ducati, before and after adding ballast, and the bike has more lateral inertia, not frontal. In all the curves, it tends to widen the trajectory and travel more meters towards the outside. It is no longer a question of winning or not, but ofdiscrimination against light pilots.
It's a safety issueA motorcycle with 7 kg more has much more inertia when braking, exiting or entering corners.
The FIM, Dorna, and World Superbike always strive to ensure rider safety, and they do it very well, because it's a high-risk sport, a very high-risk sport. With the excellent work they do, this point should not be overlooked. This is not a whim of mine, it is a reality, which can be demonstrated.The important thing is to make this sport safe, so that we can all enjoy it.
Currently, they are putting the lives of light pilots at greater risk.
They add more inertia to the motorcycles and, therefore, more risks. They are already difficult motorcycles to ride, and we are being forced to carry even more weight. We are always concerned about safety, and nowWith this rule, we increase the risk for pilots who have to carry this additional weight.It's not about whether you can win or lose, but about the fact that I'm going to have to take more risks. We're always looking out for the safety of the drivers, and I'm being made less safe. I am made to risk my life more than othersWhy? Because I'm small? Is that why I should risk my life more than others? Well, that doesn't seem logical to me.
I'm not against the Federation, nor against Dorna, nor against SBK. I support them and I'm very satisfied with all the work they do for safety.. But this is simply a further step to further improve security."
But while waiting for the authorities to take into account, or not, this point raised vehemently by the Spanish driver, the latter believes that this is also the cause of his difficulty in finding a place for next year.
"They penalized me because in 2024 and 2025, under normal conditions, we could have fought for the title. This year, I find myself without a team and, wherever I go, I take a 7-kilo backpack with me. Teams don't want a driver with those extra pounds.«
Alvaro Bautista doesn't seem very enthusiastic about a possible Aprilia test rider position in MotoGP, and instead hopes to stay where he is, even if it means earning much less money...
“For now, it's just discussions, but as I've always said, I want to be a driver and what motivates me is racing. At the moment, the role of test pilot is not in my plans.What I want most of all is to be a pilot, because I still feel competitive.
And Ducati? It's an option. We're still discussing it.I want to have a technically competitive package to be able to demonstrate my potential. Racing for the sake of racing doesn't interest me. If I race, it's for me, because I want to win. Ducati told me that the current conditions could not be maintained and that the economic part had to be reduced. I told them to leave it up to me to decide. It's not that they kicked me out, but there was this break-the-contract clause (1+1) on their part or mine., depending on certain conditions. Now I am free, I am on the market, including for them. If Ducati can't find a rider, they can call me and say to me: 'Alvaro, do you want to run for this amount?' And that's when I'll decide."
Superbike Alvaro Bautista Superbike Alvaro Bautista
