Alvaro Bautista assessed his Portimao WorldSBK weekend and compared his “feeling” on the Ducati on the 2024 and 2025 Ducatis.
The two-time WorldSBK champion faced a tough Saturday, qualifying in ninth place and getting caught in the midfield chaos early on, which ultimately led to a crash with his former team-mate, Scott Redding.
Despite the early crash, Bautista bounced back on Sunday to deliver two third places in the Superpole and Race 2.
Uncharacteristically, Bautista opted for the harder tyre compound which played into his hands around the sunny Algarve.
“In the Superpole Race, I missed Saturday’s race so the first few laps were getting confidence. I started to get my pace; I had good battles with other riders,” Bautista reflected to WorldSBK.
“In Race 2, I had a good start and stayed with both Nicolo and Toprak at the beginning. I didn’t have enough to stay with them.
“On Sunday, the pace was much faster, so I think with the pace they had on Saturday, I was able to stay with them, but they increased the pace, and I wasn’t able to follow them.
“I could make a good lap time, but they were even faster! I enjoyed watching their battle, battling, and passing one another.
“The feeling with the bike is much better than last year. Everything is more under control, and I feel the limits more.”
Bautista admits he needs ‘make steps forward’ still
Although he expressed his delight that he was able to extract more out of the bike, he believes that he can take “more steps forward” to contest with the front runners.
After all, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega were the two standout performers in Portimao, but Bautista understands that improving his competitiveness on the V4 R is a work in progress.
“I’m looking forward but we need to make some steps forward to stay with them. I’m not worried about that, just with being calm and working well, that day will arrive,” he stated.
“This year, with more experience, I see Nicolo [Bulega] defending a bit better. About Toprak [Razgatlioglu], I know how he battles very well; it was fun to see them but it’s more fun if I can be there!
“If we compare to Nico, Toprak was very strong under braking, but Nico had better exits from corners because he had more corner speed and he’s able to exit from the corners faster.”
READ MORE – Toprak Razgatlioglu ‘only pushing for the win’ following Portimao WorldSBK treble
