Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) launched the new chapter of his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship career as he landed a podium in his first round with the Ducati Independent team. After moving from the factory Ducati outfit this offseason, he had a new team and a new Ducati Panigale V4 R bike to get up to speed with, and while there were growing pains to start the weekend, the two-time World Champion ended the round on the rostrum.

GETTING THE RUST OFF: “Unfortunately, I made a mistake, touching the gear lever on Turn 11 and the bike pushed me off”

Preceding the weekend’s Australian Round action, riders took to the track for a two-day Official Test, a critical opportunity to take steps with their setups, and in the case of Bautista, come to grips with his new bike. He hovered around the top ten across the testing timesheets, while his Italian Sophomore teammate Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) placed farther up the order, finishing the final day up in fourth, ahead of Bautista in P11. The trend continued on Friday as the weekend kicked off, with Montella taking second place in the Tissot Superpole session ahead of Bautista back in P12. His Race 1 ended on the second lap as he slid off the track on Turn 11, but on Sunday, he got back on the horse, finishing P7 in the Tissot Superpole Race, and literally weathering the storm in Race 2 to finish on the podium.

Breaking down his weekend, Bautista said: “I think it was positive! In Race 1, we worked a bit on the electronics and saw some potential for growth there. We tried a different setup, but unfortunately, I made a mistake, touching the gear lever on Turn 11, and the bike pushed me off. It’s unfortunate, and it had never happened to me, but it happened. On Sunday, I tried the new setup again, and it helped me a lot; the bike felt more comfortable in my hands. In the Superpole Race, I felt very positive. I started in P12 and finished in P7, but I think my pace was good enough to fight for the podium in a full-length race. In Race 2 in the wet, it was like a lottery. I tried to understand the conditions to see how it would be, but in the first few laps, I was struggling a lot. I had some guys in front of me, and I couldn’t see anything with the spray; it was tricky. After some laps, I started to feel better, and I could apply my pace. I tried to just stay on the bike. Finishing in third place was a good way to end the weekend.”

ESTABLISHING A BASE: “Portimao is a ways away, but we have more data so that we won’t have to start from 0 like we had to here”

Bautista rode with the factory Ducati squad for the last four seasons, forging a close bond with his former crew Chief Guilio Nava, throughout his back-to-back title-winning campaigns in 2022 and 2023. After the 2025 season, the rider and the team decided to part ways, and after months of silly season intrigue, he settled on Barni Ducati as his new home for 2026. He has been candid about the fact that it has not been an easy process. Guilo Nava and him parted ways as Nava headed to Pata Maxus Yamaha’s garage to work with Andrea Locatelli. This season, the #19 is collaborating with Luca Minelli, and despite the struggles to start the round, a Race 2 podium is a promising note to close out the round Down Under.

On taking his first podium with his new team from the season-opening round, Bautista said: “It was special, this season has not been easy so far, we didn’t test much despite starting with a new project. A new bike, a new team, it was not going to be easy. We arrived at this track, which is quite unique. We tried to work on the bike, and I tried to work on my riding. It was not easy. I think we improved every time we were on track, and I’m proud to bring this prize to my team after my mistake on Saturday. It’s always better to end on the podium! Portimao is a ways away, but we have more data, so that we won’t have to start from 0 like we had to here.”

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