What will the future of Alvaro Bautista be? It has been about a month now since Ducati gave him the news of of cancellation of his contract for 2026. The Spaniard is now called upon to look for a seat in a market where things don't seem to be that simple.
Simone Battistella, who looks after the interests of the #19, is already looking for a different arrangement, but the Italian manager is first called upon to come to terms with the logic of the MotoGP rider market, which at the moment has not yet taken off. Apart from Toprak's arrival, all is silent. Indeed, no one knows how the situation of Martin and Aprilia will evolve as well as that of Acosta with KTM waiting then for a possible domino effect.
On the Superbike front, Alvaro has put Honda in his sights, aiming for what could be a resounding retirement five years down the road. Obviously HRC is waiting to see what will be the evolution of the negotiations in the other paddock before moving the pieces in the production-derived racing paddock.
In all this, Bautista is looking around with the ambition of wanting to continue racing in 2026, without having to hang up his helmet before time. Should there be no concrete possibility of continuing in WorldSBK, however, his gaze would be turned to that of a test rider.
Given his experience and sensitivity, the #19 could come in handy to some manufacturer as a tester, in order to contribute to development in view of 2027, given among other things the regulation change that awaits MotoGP. A decision that would pique Bautista's interest, thus delaying having to hang up his helmet.
So let's see how the situation evolves in a month of July that promises to be incandescent.