Bautista remains in the dark with MotoGP future

Alvaro Bautista says he’s still uncertain about his MotoGP future as focus turns to filling up the final spots on the 2019 grid.

The 33-year-old returns from the summer break without a new contract and with his future uncertain after the Angel Nieto Team agreed to a partnership with the new Sepang International Circuit-run satellite Yamaha squad which will take over the team's grid slots and make its MotoGP debut next year.

The new-look Yamaha team is yet to confirm its 2019 rider line-up, with Franco Morbidelli linked as a strong favourite to join from Marc VDS Honda, while the second spot appears to be a contest between Bautista and Moto2 race winner Fabio Quartararo.

While Bautista is eager to remain in MotoGP the 2006 125cc world champion says his future is still unclear but concedes options are already running out.

“I don’t know anything. There are no places in MotoGP, only two or three but at the moment for me nothing is clear,” Bautista said during the pre-event Czech Republic MotoGP press conference. “I don’t take the decision so I prefer not to say too much.”

Bautista’s fellow MotoGP rival Valentino Rossi was quizzed on the situation of picking Quartararo or Bautista and feels it is a case of youth against experience.

“From what I understand, because I don’t know a lot about it, I have followed the situation and maybe it is between Alvaro and Quartararo for the bike,” Rossi said. “They are two very different decisions.

“On one side you have Quartararo who is fast and a good talent but no experience and from the other side you have Alvaro who has a lot of experience in MotoGP and is a safer choice. The other one is a bet. I don’t know. They have to decide.

“This year Quartararo did two races where he was very fast but sometimes in Moto2 it is difficult to understand as at some tracks Quartararo, who rides the Speed Up, is very fast but in other tracks he struggles very much. I don’t know but I don’t have to take this decision. I hope for the choice for Quartararo and there is also a bike for Alvaro.”

While Bautista struggled at the start of this year on the Ducati GP17, blaming a lack of winter testing due to injury, the Spanish rider feels breakthroughs with set-up changes made at Jerez have triggered an upward curve which saw him take his best result in over a year with fifth place in Germany last time out.

In Moto2, Quartararo is completing his maiden campaign on the Speed Up bike and has secured one win and one pole position (both Catalunya) along with an additional rostrum (Assen). The French rider currently sits ninth in the riders’ championship.