Pol Espargaro failed a proposal which would have shaken WorldSBK rider market

Pol Espargaro reportedly failed in an attempt to land a permanent ride in the World Superbike Championship.

Aruba.it Ducati have since confirmed that they will replace the outgoing Alvaro Bautista with Honda rider Iker Lecuona.

Nicolo Bulega, the team’s top rider, is also signed up for the 2026 WorldSBK rider line-up.

But it might have all played out differently if a bold pitch from Pol Espargaro ended differently.

Espargaro proposed to Aruba.it Ducati that he could team with Bulega next season, GPOne report.

Pol Espargaro: "I didn't retire"

Ultimately, his effort fell flat as Ducati opted for a fellow Spanish rider who is nine years younger.

Espargaro clearly has no intention of retiring on somebody else’s terms.

His career has never been the same since he sustained serious injuries at Portimao in the first MotoGP round of 2023.

He lost his KTM race seat to Pedro Acosta in 2024, and became a test rider for the manufacturer.

Espargaro became a much-liked TV pundit for DAZN, the Spanish broadcaster of MotoGP, too.

But he has raced at two MotoGP rounds recently as a stand-in for Maverick Vinales, and he finished eighth in Hungary last time out.

“Sometimes people ask me if I regret retiring,” he was quoted by Autosport.

“No, I don’t regret it because I never retired! In reality, I’m still racing and I want to keep racing.

“I didn’t retire. I had to due to a life situation. I crashed, hurt myself badly, had to recover and wasn’t fit to be a MotoGP rider.

“But I didn’t retire – I wanted to keep racing and I want to keep competing.

“[Competing] is what I do when I get on the bike and the results come out. The idea that I’ve retired isn’t real. I’m still racing.”