On the track in Aragon, along with other SBK teams for a pre-race weekend outing, the factory Ducati team finished the session fairly calmly, especially with Alvaro Bautista. He was fresh from signing his contract with Barni for the upcoming championship and appeared quite satisfied with what he learned and with his pace.
"It was a positive test. It's good to be back on the bike after the summer break. The feelings were immediately positive. True, I've done well in Aragon in the past, so it was easy for me to find my pace," the Spanish rider said before explaining the nature of the work carried out.
"On Monday, I rode with the 2025 version of the Panigale V4 just to stack up miles, so no major changes were made in terms of set-up. I must say that I felt good, even though the asphalt conditions weren't optimal, since it rained in the morning and, in the early afternoon, the surface was still dirty. But then, when it improved, even the performance improved. Today I instead tested the 2026, collecting a lot of data that the engineers will need for developing the bike. Overall, everything went well," he said, summing up both days.
Aruba's other rider, Nicolò Bulega, was neither disappointed not enthusiastic."We understood several things that should come in handy for the race," said the Italian rider. "Specifically, I was able to identify some positive elements, but also some negative ones. In general, I still don't feel totally confident, so I think we can do more. Now, understanding what we need to do, in order to strengthen those areas where I'm weaker, is going to be imporant."