“Pride” for Danilo Petrucci in battling Alvaro Bautista for 2025 WorldSBK bronze medal

Danilo Petrucci says there is “pride” for him in battling two-time WorldSBK Champion Alvaro Bautista for third place in this year’s riders’ standings.

Petrucci left last weekend’s Donington World Superbike round with a 15-point advantage over Bautista in the battle for third in the standings, but still feels Bautista is faster than him over the course of a race.

“If I find a good qualifying lap I can be more aggressive in the first part of the race, but he’s [Bautista] lighter so he can manage better the tyre at the end of the race,” Danilo Petrucci said on Sunday at the UK Round.

“We have to start more in front than him because, as a potential, maybe just a single lap I’m faster, looking at all the race he’s faster.

“But it’s a big fight for third in the championship.

“For me, it’s a pride to fight with a double World Champion with a factory bike, I have around [me] just factory bikes.

“I can’t complain about my bike, but sometimes when you need just a few tenths, [something] is missing. You need everything to be with them.

“Also, a tenth, two-tenths per lap, it’s something really huge.”

Bautista: Petrucci “performing really well, but…”

Alvaro Bautista himself admitted that Petrucci is riding well this year, but he also pointed out that he has been unlucky himself.

“He’s [Petrucci] doing really well,” Bautista said on Saturday at Donington after his Race 1 of the UK Round was ended at the first corner when he was caught up in the crash between Yari Montella and Sam Lowes.

“He’s performing really well, but it’s true that I lost a lot of points not for my fault.

“So, I think the races we finished we did more races in front of Danilo than him in front of me.

“I think without these external problems, I could be third. Not easy, but I could be third in the championship because I lost a lot of points in that way.

“Right now, I don’t look a lot at the championship standings, I just try to focus on myself, on my riding, and with the bike I have try to get the maximum and try to improve always my performance.”