Yari Montella admits he “never dared to dream” that he would earn his first WorldSBK podium in the opening race of the 2026 season.
Montella entered his second WorldSBK campaign after a topsy-turvy debut in the championship, but had returned to the grid after an introspective winter.
The Italian suffered the most crashes of any rider in 2025, and felt he had to change tactics heading into the opening round of the new season.
The Barni Spark rider finished fourth in the final test before the Phillip Island weekend, but admitted he believed a podium finish still wasn’t possible.
“On Thursday, I did a really good race simulation during testing, and when I compared my times with Bulega, I started to believe in a strong result,” Montella told SPEEDWEEK.com.
“When another long run in the second practice session confirmed this assessment, I set my sights firmly on the top five.
“But I never dared to dream that I would now be standing on the podium in second place.”
Reflecting on his best result in WorldSBK, Montella admitted that he hadn’t shown his true potential in his first season.
The Italian also thanked his Barni Spark team for continuing to have faith in him after his difficult rookie campaign.
“The race wasn’t easy, but the experience from last season helped me. I remembered the many mistakes and crashes and dealt with them intensively over the winter,” said the 26-year-old.
“I learned from these setbacks to take a step forward, I think something inside me has changed.
“But I’m especially happy for Barni, because I owe him the opportunity to show my true potential.”
Yari Montella hoping for ‘start of a new era’ after strong opening WorldSBK weekend
Despite a strong opener overall, Montella’s weekend ended in disappointment after he crashed out of an almost assured second place in the wet Race 2.
However, Montella still sits second in the championship after his second place in Race 1 and fourth in the Superpole race on Sunday morning and is hopeful he can continue his momentum.
The Italian rider highlighted Ducati is usually strong around the Phillip Island circuit, which he himself has a history of strong performances at, but is waiting to confirm his form over the next two rounds.
“Of course, I hope this is the start of a new era, but Phillip Island has always suited Ducati and it’s one of my best tracks.
“I took my first Supersport win here with Kawasaki, and also my first wins for Barni Racing.
“We need to wait for confirmation in Portimão and Assen.”
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