Alvaro Bautista changes “my approach to riding the bike” in Jerez WorldSBK test

A two-day test for WorldSBK in Jerez was shortened to one-and-a-half days for the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team, as Alvaro Bautista looked for new ways forward with the Panigale V4 R.

Bautista spent most of his one-and-a-half days in Jerez focusing on changing how he rides the Panigale V4 R.

“Today [Wednesday, day two], we decided to do just a half-day, and we continued the work we started yesterday,” Bautista told WorldSBK.com on Wednesday in Jerez.

“So, for us, the important thing is just to reset and create a new base.

“Yesterday, I didn’t want to touch anything, just to change my approach to riding the bike. Also, today we didn’t touch anything until just the last run.

“It was good because I was getting more confident, I was changing a little bit my riding with the bike and understanding many things.

“Then, with all the data from yesterday and the first part of the morning, we did a change in the setup, just to allow me to ride a bit better.

“I just did on the final exit but it was really nice. I had a better feeling, so I’m happy; it’s been positive.

“Now we have different data from the past, we have now all the winter to analyse everything and try to make a programme for the work in the first tests of next year.”

Bautista explained that his work during the test had been with a setup that was not personalised to him, but was a more generic setup that is more similar to what most of the other Ducati riders use.

Then, his change for the final run was an adjustment made to that setup to suit his own needs.

“I asked Ducati to make a ‘Ducati’ setup,” he said. “So, I just tried to understand how was the ‘Ducati setup’ bike, and then try to understand the positive and the negative points of the bike.

“Then, together, we decided to make a change on the setup, and definitely it was a bit better for me: I have the bike more in my hand and I can ride in the same way, but more comfortable.”

Bautista said that the work done in the test allows him to go into the winter with a clear mind.

“After today, I’m looking forward to starting 2025 because I had a different feeling from the past,” he said.

“This is good because I go to the winter break with a clear mentality, more open to more setups and more ideas to improve.”

After a 2024 below his expectations, Bautista now wants to use it to rebound in 2025.

“For sure, it’s not the best season [I’ve had] so far,” he said. “I had two injuries, one at the beginning of the season and then another one at the end; we had some problems with the bike, I never really had a good feedback.

“But I think, at the end, this kind of season is one to learn. More than it pushed me down, it gave me motivation, so I will try to be a better rider.

“I’m happy also that the championship is growing up, like the level, more riders battling for the good positions — that means that, right now, every single detail will be important.”