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Alvaro Bautista was clear at Most: "I want to race again in 2025," so he said after Race 2 on Sunday. The Spaniard therefore has no intention of retiring and aims to relaunch his chase for the title ahead of next season. With his declaration last Sunday, the world champion has therefore thrown the ball into the garden of Ducati and Aruba and it will now be up to them to decide what to do.
First, however, it will be necessary to understand what will be the basis of the renewal of the partnership between Ducati and Aruba, which as we know expires this year. Until now, the Superbike project has been entirely supported by Stefano Cecconi, who personally handled the hiring of the riders.
Now the Aruba boss is trying to understand what kind of support he will have from the Borgo Panigale manufacturer, that is, whether he will intervene financially to contribute to the cause or not.
In all of this, the problem of Bautista holds centrestage. Should his demands be met and he renews, it will almost certainly be on a two-year basis, thus arriving at 2026. At the same time, however, Ducati and Aruba will have to start thinking as of now about 2026, because next year Nicolò Bulega's contract will expire. On this matter, we are quite convinced that, given his current performance, the SBK rookie and his manager Alberto Martinelli will certainly bid upwards for a stay in red.
It is a fact that Ducati and the Ducati are much sought-after by many riders, and among them is obviously Andrea Iannone, who considers it to all intents and purposes his priority. The Maniac has an option with Go Eleven for next season, but he is not giving up looking with interest at the factory Panigale V4 should the renewal of Bautisa come to nothing.
Returning to racing after a four-year absence, the Vasto rider wants a factory team, knowing that with the support of a factory team he would be able to raise the bar even higher to express what is his true potential.
In addition to him, Danilo Petrucci also stands out among the candidates. Two months after his terrible dirt bike injury, Petrux has shown a determination and ability to get back on his feet that has left everyone impressed, even finishing on the podium last weekend at Most. And who knows how Race 2 would have gone without the crash at the start?
After his experiences in MotoGP and MotoAmerica, the factory seat would be the closing of a circle for a rider who over the years has never held back on contributing to the Ducati cause.
Finally, watch out for what could be an internal solution, at virtually no cost, represented by Adrian Huertas. The young Spaniard, currently dominating SSP, already has a contract with an option for next year with Aruba, which contemplates a possible jump to SBK should he win the middle category. Obviously the option is in favor of the team with Huertas representing the cheapest option when compared to Iannone and Petrucci.
Finally, taking a look at the other paddock, there are very few solutions. The only name is that of Jack Miller, still without a seat for 2025. A profile that does not seem to arouse much interest, however.
The fact remains that there will be no announcements this weekend at WDW, but then it will be necessary to get around a table and discuss because there is very little time to lose.
