“Free” Alvaro Bautista “not worried” about finding 2026 WorldSBK ride

Two-time WorldSBK Champion Alvaro Bautista says he is “free” for 2026 but is “not worried” about his situation.

The Spanish rider, who joined the World Superbike grid in 2019, will not continue at Ducati on his current contract in 2026, but the 40-year-old is certain that he wants to continue racing in WorldSBK.

“For sure my first target is to keep racing, second target is to keep racing here in World Superbike,” Alvaro Bautista told WorldSBK.com ahead of this weekend’s UK Round.

“I’m free,” he added. “I don’t have any contract. We are speaking with some manufacturers, but still nothing on the table.

“But I’m not worried about that, I just try to stay focused on myself, in the present, try to enjoy the bike, and that’s all.

“I think I can be calm because my performance is good. I think if you are fast and precise and performant in the track then you have more options to race next year.”

Bautista at least has an array of options for next season, with numerous rides at multiple brands set to become open at the end of 2025. He has also not ruled himself out of staying at Ducati on a revised contract.

“Fortunately there are a lot of bikes free for next year, so I’m not really worried about that,” he said.

“The problem as well is that, in the manufacturer I race, I have 7kg that I have to put on the bike.

“This is the biggest problem I find because, with all the manufacturers I speak [to], this is a big problem because they cannot use the standard bike, they have to add 6kg or 7kg on the bike so this is a big problem.

“For me, the most important is if we can come back to our normal regulations because at the end I think this rule has been a bit unfair for light riders or small riders.

“So, I’m more worried about that than to find a seat. There are a lot of free bikes and also with Ducati the door is not closed so we have to keep speaking and see what happens.”

Nicolo Bulega, Bautista's Aruba.it Racing Ducati teammate and present points leader in WorldSBK, gave his vote to the Spaniard when asked who he would like alongside him next year, the Italian having re-signed with Ducati ahead of the sixth round at Misano.

"I don’t think a lot about this," Bulega told WorldSBK.com.

"Honestly, I’m quite happy with Alvaro [Bautista], I have a good relationship with him. So, if Alvaro stays next year, I’m happy."