The year 2024 is drawing to a close and it's time to take stock in Aruba. The team led by Stefano Cecconi ended the World SBK Championship with the constructors title and Nicolò Bulega as vice world champion.
In fact, the top class rookie finished ahead of Alvaro Bautista who, unfortunately, missed out on his third consecutive title. So we had a long end-of-year chat with Serafino Foti, who summed up what happened on the track
The first part of the interview with the Aruba team manager is dedicated to the Spanish rider, between analysis, joys, sorrows, and ambitions for 2025.
"Obviously, we're sad about Bautista's 2024," he began. "The injury from Jerez in 2023 affected him until May. Also, because of the new regulations, he lacked the confidence he needed with the bike. But we made some changes in Most and managed to show improvements."
What do you think was his biggest limitation?
"The biggest problem I think was his performance during practice, which consequently affected the races, because he was forced to start from behind."
From a human point of view, what kind of Alvaro do you see?
"Alvaro has fire in his eyes and, after the last race in Jerez, he's still pissed off, because he didn't want to end that way. He wants to prove to himself that he's still strong and competitive. In fact, he's training a lot. Bautista is working harder than ever to win back the title, and that makes it clear that he's not giving up. He's still there studying and analyzing to improve himself and be faster than before. He certainly hasn't forgotten how to race motorcycles."
This year, we've seen a Bautista that was at times dull and sad, as if he had lost his way ...
"When Alvaro is having fun, he never touches anything on the Ducati and, unfortunately, it was never like that this year. We we were always forced to chase. All this has shaken us if we consider the feeling he had in 2022 and 2023. However, in Aragon, he demonstrated that he's the real Bautista, proving his worth again. The moment he enjoys himself on the bike, I'm convinced he can battle for the World Championship at par with Toprak."
Toprak practically dominated last season. How can anyone expect to beat him?
"If Alvaro is confident in Aragon, he can beat Toprak, and I'm certain of that! We're working on the bike to optimize some aspects where we have some margin. Bautista will have to try to ride like he did in Aragon in all the races, which is to be perfect in any situation. We certainly won't start off beaten, knowing how valuable our opponent is."
The regulations will remain the same. Don't you think this will take its toll?
"Everyone does their own work, and each manufacturer serves its own purpose. The goal is to have a regulation that doesn't penalize, even if, right now, all we have to do is get used to the decision. Wasting time complaining is useless. The only thing to do is react. We're the only ones with a ballast and, in the dynamic phase, the weight affects a lot. In fact, there are important consequences. If they had added 10 kg, like someone wanted, Alvaro would've retired. The fact is that, if the other teams had a rider like Alvaro, I don't know if they'd be happy or not with the ballast."
Speaking of the contract, there's anticipation for the decision related to the renewal. What should we expect?
"I'm sure that Alvaro will be the first to quit in case he's no longer enjoying himself, without us being the ones to ask him. We know him well. If he's no longer competitive riding the Ducati, he'll leave. I'm of the idea that he'll use the first races to understand his level, analyze, assess, and then he'll decide. If he realizes he has no margin, he'll hang up his helmet. We're certainly not in a hurry, because Bautista is a great professional and knows what to do."
If he quits, what will Aruba's plan be? A replacement from the MotoGP or SBK?
"I hope Alvaro will continue because he's a great champion. We all know his potential, and we trust him. In fact, I want him to stay with us even in 2026. If not, we'll then see."