Bautista: “Less stress” in WorldSBK, “would be difficult to say yes to MotoGP"

Alvaro Bautista says a return to MotoGP would be difficult for him to accept after claiming WorldSBK is ‘less stressful’.

Robert Jones

23 May 2023

Alvaro Bautista, Ducati WorldSBK Catalunya 2023

The reigning WorldSBK champion committed his future to Ducati by signing a new one-year deal prior to the Catalunya round.

A race weekend that proved to be even more dominant than his hat-trick performances at Phillip Island and Assen, Bautista’s three wins saw him extend his championship lead to over a full race-weekend worth of points.

But despite that, Bautista is scheduled to take part in a MotoGP test aboard a factory Ducati later this year, while wild card appearances have also been discussed.

The now 38-year-old, who is without question in the prime of his career, could very well be competitive if he made a return to MotoGP, however, the Spaniard prefers to stay in WorldSBK as it stands.

"I’m having a lot of fun with the bike, more than all other years in MotoGP," Bautista told GPOne.com. "I feel like I can ride how I want and I make the most of my potential and that of the bike. We are made for each other.”

"At the moment I’ve asked Ducati to do a test with the MotoGP bike as a reward for my 2022 title.

"We’ll see what my feelings will be when I try it. If I like it then I’ll make some requests, like a wildcard. If I lapped one second faster than Bagnaia in the tests, perhaps Ducati would reconsider, but I don’t think that will happen."

Bautista, who joined WorldSBK in 2019 and started the season off by winning the first 11 races, admitted that his ambition was to make a swift return to the Grand Prix paddock.

But after finding a Panigale V4 R that is tailor-made to his riding style, enjoying huge amounts of success and a less stressful environment, Bautista would find it hard to say yes if an opportunity to join MotoGP came his way

The Aruba.it Ducati rider said: "In 2019 my idea was to return to MotoGP, but right now that’s not in my plans.

"The Superbike [series] is a comfortable championship in terms of travel, especially when you have two small girls.

"There is less stress, less pressure. If they asked me to return to MotoGP it would be difficult for me to say yes. I wouldn’t have much enthusiasm for it. But you never know. I’m really enjoying WorldSBK."