At the end of the second and final day of testing at Phillip Island, there were four Ducatis at the top, but none were ridden by Alvaro Bautista. The Spanish rider remained in the red but swtiched teams and went to Barni. However, above all, he changed crew chief, ending his long relationship with Giulio Nava. He now has Luca Minelli at his side. The final 11th place is also the result of all these changes, and Alvaro is the first to know it.
"I'm working to get to know the team and the bike because we weren't able to do any testing during the winter, like everyone else," he began to explain. "I started with more or less the same set-up I ended with last seasonin Spain, but this bike is a little different, and this track is the opposite of Jerez. Yesterday, I struggled a lot. This morning, we made a change that helped me a little, but it's not enough."
As mentioned, Bautista needs to build a relationship with the team. But time, as always, is a tyrant.
"My crew chief has to learn to understand my feelings," he continued. "For example, if the bike doesn't enter the corner well, it can be raised or lowered to help me in that phase. We have to understand each other. So today we did a lot of testing today, and, honestly, I felt a bit lost because I couldn't ride the way I wanted to. Every time I went out, I tried something different, and the last one was very positive. I started to feel something different and ride differently. We ended the tests on a positive note, and we'll see if we can continue to get to know each other and understand what I need to ride this bike fast during the race weekend."
Alvaro is a very experienced rider, but he needs a bit of a running-in period right now.
"The way of working is a bit different, so you have to get used to it," he pointed out. "It's strange, especially because, with Giulio, I just had to explain my feelings to him, and he immediately knew how to intervene on the bike. With Luca, we need more time. It's different."
Nonetheless, moving from the factory team to a private team doesn't seem to have any particular drawbacks.
"In the garage, the only difference is the faces. The working method and the number of people are the same. Outside the garage, we don't have hospitality here, but that's not the problem," Alvaro said jokingly. "The important thing is what's in the garage, and Barni only wants the best. I'm not saying I have more support in this team, but more opportunities to have different parts, because the team can modify them to suit my build. This could be an advantage, and I'll try to take advantage of it."
Not to mention that the Panigale V4R has also changed.
"At the moment, it's a little different. I haven't reached one hundred percent of its potential yet, so I can't say if it's better or worse," Bautista commented. "It's a Ducati. the DNA is there, but there are differences, and we need to adjust the set-up because the one we used in the past isn't the best for this bike."
The only problem is that time is now up. The winter tests are now over, and, in a few days, everyone will be on track for the first round of 2026.
"Right now, I don't think I can fight for a position. I mean, I'm focused on myself. I don't think my pace is among the best. We have to work, and I know there's still a lot of room for improvement. I'm on my way to reaching my best. It would be stupid to think about a position today, because I don't know the level of the others, and I can still grow," Alvaro concluded.