After racing for 17 years in MotoGP, Álvaro Bautista (Talavera de la Reina, 38 years old) has found his place, where he feels fully, in the Superbike (SBK) championship that this weekend visits the Circuit de Barcelona- Catalunya in the fourth round of the World Cup, the Catalunya Round (May 5-7). The driver from La Mancha, current champion of the category, is sweeping, on his way to his second title: undisputed leader, 8 victories in 9 races, 56 points ahead of second...
Does the category fall short?
I don't know if it falls short or not, but I'm enjoying the bike a lot, more than in all the other years in MotoGP. I feel that I can ride the way I want and I make the most of my potential and that of the bike. Another thing is that perhaps it seems from the outside that it has no rivals. I wouldn't say that it falls short for me, but I take the bike and I get 100%, we are made for each other.
How superior is the Ducati? Does it happen like in MotoGP?
The difference is that in MotoGP, almost everyone in front rides a Ducati, and in this championship the only Ducati in front is me. The others have specific moments, but none of Ducati can fight for victories. The key in Superbike is the bike-rider-team combination. It's a Ducati that comes from the MotoGP concept, it's designed by Gigi Dall'Igna, therefore my style that was MotoGP suits very well, and the bike allows me to ride very naturally. When I was at Honda (2020-21) I rode the same, but we didn't get along well...
What does MotoGP have about this bike?
In MotoGP you ride a lot with the gas, to make it turn (in a curve) you have to skid, but without going overboard so as not to lose traction, and at the same time try to lift it up as soon as possible. It was my MotoGP style.
Is the level of Superbike riding discreet or is it just a tad below MotoGP?
I would say that Superbike riders have a different mentality, it's a different concept. Those of us who come from MotoGP have a different way of working, of facing the races. When I arrived in 2019 I saw less tension, more relaxation, and since then many began to adapt to what I brought from the other paddock. Today, the work in SBK is more similar to that of MotoGP. It has become a bit more professional, since many MotoGP riders come who bring this way of working. This year there is a higher level with the arrival of Petrucci, from Lecuona, with Vierge, Aegerter, Locatelli, Redding... In 2019, if he had a terrible weekend, he was third; now, on a bad weekend, it's hard for me to get to the top 6. The level is improving and that demands more and more of you.
Having spent 17 seasons in MotoGP, by contrast, what do you value most about Superbike?
I think that for the spectator it is a brutal championship, you don't see it in any other motor sport worldwide.
Why is it so different from MotoGP?
The fan enjoys three races on Saturday, and on Sunday a short race and another three long ones. Then, the public has access to the paddock, they can move freely, get closer to the pilots, and on top of that, the pilots are predisposed to the fans, we like it. The SBK fan goes to the races because he likes motorcycles, and not just to take a photo with a rider. And in the paddock, there is also a show, giant screens, a speaker, games, prizes, interviews and signatures with the drivers... The public is part of the show.
Is there less divism between the pilots?
Yes, much less. There is more unity between the drivers and the fans, we are more accessible, we try to serve people, there is less pressure. We all enjoyed the weekend.
Now in MotoGP they have introduced the Sprint, a second short race on Saturday. Many pilots see it as very aggressive and stressful. In Superbike they make three every weekend…
I prefer to do three races. MotoGP riders were used to one thing and when they change it they are a bit reluctant. It happened when they introduced Q1 and Q2. I think they have to understand how to manage the Sprint. Not because it is half laps you have to go to the knife, to death. In the end they will like it. It is a format that I like more.
At 38 years old and in his 21st season in the elite, would he consider a return to MotoGP or has he run out of steam?
At the moment I asked Ducati to do a test with the MotoGP bike as a prize for my 2022 title. We will do one, perhaps after the Catalunya GP, and when I try it, we'll see how I feel about it. If I like it, I'll ask for things, like a wild-card...
Do you have a chance to come back?
I don't think so. But what do I know… If in the test I ride a second faster than Bagnaia, maybe [Ducati] will reconsider it… I don't think it will happen. In 2019 my idea was to return to MotoGP, but right now it is not in my plans. In addition, Superbike is a comfortable championship due to the displacements, especially when you have two little girls, there is less stress, less pressure. If they asked me to return to MotoGP it would be hard for me to say yes. I would get a little lazy. But you never know. I'm really enjoying SBK.
What did he lack in MotoGP to succeed? He only made three podiums in his nine seasons in the premier class (2010-18)...
In MotoGP I lacked being in a top team with a competitive motorcycle, and the perseverance of hard work. I always had to find a life with satellite motorcycles because I was never in an official team. I couldn't show everything I was capable of. I feel like I could have given more. Now I am giving my best. Now it is me.
In MotoGP he rode with the first Suzuki, with the Honda and the Aprilia in Gresini, and with the Ducati satellite of Aspar and Nieto. Too bad I didn't have a current Ducati...
It was the time that touched me: I was on a satellite motorcycle and there was more difference with the current satellites. And I also coincided with Rossi, with Lorenzo, Márquez, Stoner, Pedrosa, Dovizioso… And in 2012 I finished fifth and sixth in 2013 with a satellite motorcycle. It was a merit, but who would you remove from an official motorcycle to put me in? All those names were ahead. Now, MotoGP is more open, the satellite bikes win, and there are not all those names that were ahead, yes or yes.
How does MotoGP look from the sofa, five years after leaving?
Now better. The first year I was envious, it was my house, I had grown up there. It was rare to see my rivals. Not now. I try to see it as a spectator.
And as a spectator, who do you see as your favourite?
Right now the strongest is the Ducati-Bagnaia couple. Especially because of Pecco's experience. He is the most solid in the motorcycle-rider-confidence sum.
Do you see Marc Márquez champion again?
Marc has the potential to be champion again, but it's not just the physical factor that counts, there are more things. Having lost so much time without competing, with operations, he makes a dent psychologically. That is more difficult to recover than the physical. You have to earn trust little by little. I don't think that overnight I will show up and win. I don't see it this year. I would be very pleasantly surprised if he won the championship this year. I wouldn't bet on him, far from it, but not because I don't believe in him, but because of the mechanical level there is: currently the talent of a driver is less appreciated than a few years ago. Now Márquez cannot show all his talent; he lacks rhythm and to settle down again psychologically, these have been some very crazy years, many interruptions, operations...
Would you advise him to leave Honda?
I would just tell him to do what he really thinks is best for him. In this world you have to be selfish and look out for yourself.
