The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship brought the curtain down on its 2026 season at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, and while Alvaro Bautista missed out on a rostrum return, his final day in Andalucia proved he still has the pace to battle at the front.
Sunday morning started with an encouraging charge in the Superpole Race. Firing off from P9 on the grid, Bautista wasted no time making moves. He stole P8 from Independent Ducati rider Lorenzo Baldassarri on the final Turn 13 of the opening lap before slicing inside rookie Alberto Surra at Turn 6 with slight contact on Lap 2 to grab seventh. A bold lunge down the straight into Lap 3 netted him sixth past Tommy Bridewell with eight laps remaining. Try as he might, the two-time WorldSBK Champion simply did not have the pace to reel in Alex Lowes ahead, finishing sixth.
Race 2 brought even more intent. Starting from the back of the second row, Bautista launched himself up to third by the end of the opening lap. Iker Lecuona and Bulega had already checked out at the front, but Bautista settled into a rhythm, keeping Sam Lowes behind him as his cushion grew to just under two seconds by Lap 15. Then, the skies opened. A white flag waved on Lap 16 as rain arrived in the first three sectors. Bautista's margin dwindled to nine tenths by Lap 17, shrunk to 0.3s on Lap 18, and stood at just two tenths starting the penultimate Lap 19. Thriving in the wet conditions, Sam Lowes completed his comeback with a Turn 5 move on the final lap, stealing the final podium spot and crossing the line in P3.
Reflecting on the unpredictable finale, Bautista kept a glass-half-full perspective. "It wasn’t such a bad day," he said. "In the Superpole Race, it’s always difficult. Everyone is always pushing 100% from the start... I had a really good start, I overtook three riders into the first corner. It allowed me to sit third. I was riding well, felt good on the bike, and saw the gap behind me increasing. Behind me, Sam had me as a reference, and unfortunately, I lost some tyre pressure as I had stopped pushing as hard. After two or three laps, the tyres were difficult; I felt no grip, no contact, and I decided to at least finish the race. I’m happy, though, because when conditions were normal, I was strong and I improved my gap to other riders. The result isn’t what we deserved, but this is racing. You have to focus on the bike; you can’t think about the rain or about him catching you. I don’t feel frustrated; this time I had some problems, other times other riders have some problems."
With Xavi Vierge stepping into his place at the Barni Ducati box for 2027, Bautista's immediate future remains completely unconfirmed. Waiting in the garage with his wife and two daughters after the race, the atmosphere felt like a goodbye from the team, even if the rider himself is eager for a new chapter.
"I’m so proud of the weekend we did," Bautista reflected on his season finale. "After a season like this, it’s not easy to recover. Results that didn’t come, the midseason injury, many circumstances that didn’t let us show our potential. It’s not easy to stay motivated and push until the end. We did that at Estoril, and we did that here, we have to be proud of this. It was fantastic to have my loved ones here. This weekend has been emotional overall, seeing the support from people who say, ‘Keep racing!’ In the box, it seemed like a goodbye, which it is from the team, but it’s been good to have them there waiting for me. I don’t know what’s next for me, I don’t have any new information. My manager is working on some proposals; I’ll call him this week. Let’s see if we have something motivating. I want to keep racing."
