Bautista: ‘I showed people that this year was different from three years ago’

After being mistake-free during the first four WorldSBK rounds of the year, Bautista crashed out of the opening race at Donington Park.

It was a mistake that allowed Toprak Razgatlioglu to breathe fresh hope of a championship challenge after going on to complete a hat-trick of wins that weekend.

• Alvaro Bautista: ‘I will have a space in Ducati history forever’
• Rossi: ‘It’s hard to lose with a smile, but to continue racing you have to lose’

But while the mistake was a surprise, the response from Bautista was not as he went on to win the opening race in Most, a circuit that was expected to suit Razgatlioglu and Yamaha. 

Razgatlioglu did manage to win the next two races while also winning twice at Magny-Cours, however, Bautista again took the opening win in France when Razgatlioglu suffered a mechanical issue that led to him crashing before recovering to 11th. 

Bautista would continue to claim victories at circuits that were expected to suit Razgatlioglu and Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea, although it was the Misano round earlier in the season that he believes was as important as any other. 

"The Misano round was very important. I remember that weekend, I was so focused and concentrated so much," Bautista told WorldSBK.com. 

"I just wanted to do a perfect job and the feeling of the bike was amazing. Finishing in front of Jonathan, who, at that moment, was the main rival in the classification made it one of the best weekends of the season. 

"If I say the Misano round was a perfect weekend, I think Catalunya was even better! Especially coming from Magny-Cours. The best was the feeling I had with the bike was amazing. I enjoyed all the races and all the practices. 

"I think the best weekend of the season. My worst thing was when I crashed at Donington. It was my fault, my mistake. But many people thought ‘now he starts to feel the pressure and it starts to be like 2019 and he starts making mistakes.’ 

"I was really, really calm because I knew what the problem was. In Race 2, I showed myself and all the people that I made a mistake, but this year is different from three years ago."

Bautista wanted to ‘celebrate’ WorldSBK title but had ‘no energy’

The Ducati rider won the world title during the final race of the Mandalika weekend after securing second behind Razgatlioglu. 

Battling hard with the Yamaha rider during the early stages of Race 2, Bautista lacked the pace required to go with the Turkish star, although winning the race was not his main priority. 

"I always tried to be focused but, believe me, in Race 2 I started to feel more pressure than all the season," Bautista continued. "When I was leading at that moment, I was too nervous. I didn’t want to make a mistake and, maybe because of that, I was making a lot of mistakes. 

"My target was trying to win the championship, not the race, so it was different from other races! 

"After the race, when I stopped to celebrate and to put the #1 on my bike, at that moment I wanted to celebrate. But, at the same time, I couldn’t because I didn’t have energy. 

"The first phone call I made was to my wife because I want to see her and see my daughters. It's funny because, when I arrive home, I always show the trophies to my daughters, especially the big one, as they’re starting to understand more things. 

"Imagine when I arrive with the World Champion trophy and give it to her… for me, that will be more emotional than everything."