Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider pair of Alvaro Bautista had a busy couple of days in Spain as they both dialled in their 2025 Panigale V4 R’s, as well as got further acquainted with Ducati’s new 2026 model. While rain prevented teams from taking full advantage of the two-day test, the day and a half of dry running allowed riders to dial in their setups ahead of the impending French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.

Part of the testing regimen for the riders in red involved not only the development of their current setups but also the opportunity to test with the all-new 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R. The new model seemed to suit the #11 and #19. Each rider placed in the top five with the machine, which continues under development.

“I instantly felt good on the bike, straight away”- Bautista on his Aragonese testing days

The Aragon test, as well as the remaining four rounds of the 2025 season, will be Alvaro Bautista's final events as a member of the Ducati factory team. The two-time World Champion will be leaving his factory outfit for the Barni Spark Racing Team in 2026. That didn’t stop the Spaniard from posting impressive times, placing P4 across the pair of test days, both on the team’s current Panigale and the 2026 concept bike. On Day 1, the #19’s 1’49.661s lap landed him just 0.144s behind Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in third. On Day 2, Bautista rode the 2026 Panigale V4 R exclusively. Despite the comparative lack of familiarity with the new platform, Bautista improved his time by more than two tenths of a second to remain in P4.

On his Aragon test and his time with the new 2026 Panigale, Bautista said: “It has been a positive test; it was good to get back on the bike after the long summer break. I instantly felt good on the bike, straight away. Aragon is a track I’ve succeeded at before, so it was easy for me to get used to the bike again. On Monday, I spent the whole day with the 2025 bike; we didn’t make a lot of changes, as our goal was to get used to the bike again and get the rhythm back. Track conditions weren’t good in the morning because of the rain, but later in the day, the feeling improved as the track dried. On Tuesday, I rode with the new 2026 Panigale V4 R. We tried many things to give the engineers feedback and improve the bike. Overall, I think it was a positive test.

A MIXED BAG: “My feeling is not 100%, so we have to understand how we can improve the areas I don’t like about my bike”

Nicolo Bulega wasn’t as positive about his feeling with his setup. The current Riders’ Championship runner-up will need to consistently outperform his rival, the defending Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). The upcoming round at Magny-Cours may be an uphill battle for the Emilian rider, as the French venue is one that Toprak tends to dominate, with the notable exception of last year, due to his crash in Free Practice. Bulega started the test hot, topping the timesheets on Day 1, before seeing his time beaten by the #1 by more than half a second on Day 2 as he finished the final day third fastest.

On his pair of days at Aragon, Bulega said. “This test was an important one because we came to understand some things I like and don’t like about our setup. Finding out more about both of these things was important. My feeling is not 100%, so we have to understand how we can improve the areas I don’t like about my bike. It was important to come to understand the setup better before Magny-Cours.”

Can Bulega catch up to Razgatlioglu to steal the World title out from under him? How will Bautista’s final rounds in Ducati factory red unfold? Tune in live or on demand to find out with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!