Alvaro Bautista jabs back at Andrea Iannone’s naughty “faster” claim

Alvaro Bautista has hit back at a subtle claim from Andrea Iannone in Sepang.

“I learned I’m faster than Bautista last year,” Iannone quipped after his MotoGP comeback in Malaysia.

“I learned this.”

Iannone was racing in MotoGP for the first time since 2019 at the same track that Bautista rode at as a wildcard last year.

Bautista finished 17th in 2023, also riding a Ducati, in his first MotoGP appearance in four years, like Iannone.

Bautista also qualified second-last and was P22 in the sprint last year at Sepang.

Iannone matched Bautista’s P17 in the grand prix at this year’s round.

But his claim that he was faster has received a rebuttal.

“Oh my goodness…thank goodness there are times,” Bautista replied to Iannone via social media.

“Actually he was exactly two minutes faster than me, with one lap less of course.

“Because if you take one lap off my time, to do 19 like he did, I am three seconds faster…and injured…”

Last year, Bautista revealed after his nightmare MotoGP wildcard in Sepang that he was carrying an injury from a prior crash.

This season, Bautista and Iannone have locked horns in the World Superbike Championship.

Bautista conceded his WSBK title to Toprak Razgatlioglu, and finished third in the championship. Iannone was seventh in his first season after a four-year ban.

They will both be back in WSBK in 2025. And back in MotoGP? Who knows…