Alvaro Bautista Ducati WorldSBK engineer set for 2026 move

Alvaro Bautista’s Ducati WorldSBK crew chief Giulio Nava is reportedly set for a move at the end of the season.

Nava has been Bautista’s crew chief at Ducati throughout his time in the Aruba.it Racing squad, including for his two World Superbike titles in 2022 and 2023.

With Alvaro Bautista moving to Barni for the 2026 season, there is theoretically a pathway for Nava to stay within Ducati and alongside the Spanish rider at the Italian satellite team, but instead he seems set for a different destination to the three-time World Champion in 2026.

Italian publication GPOne reports that Nava will move to Yamaha next season to work with Andrea Locatelli in the factory team.

He would be the Italian rider’s third crew chief in four seasons, Locatelli having worked with Andrew Pitt until the end of 2023 when Pitt moved across the Pata Yamaha garage to work with Jonathan Rea while Locatelli brought Tom O’Kane into his crew.

Nava has a past with Yamaha himself, although in very different circumstances, having worked with Ben Spies in 2009 during the American’s sole World Superbike season, in which he won the title before moving to MotoGP in 2010.

A move for Nava away from Aruba would also open the possibilities for Bautista’s replacement, Iker Lecuona’s, crew chief next year. The Spaniard currently works with Tom Jojic at Honda.

Bautista himself is also therefore seemingly set for a new crew chief in 2026 as he moves to replace Danilo Petrucci at Barni. GPOne reports that this will be Petrucci’s current crew chief: Luca Minelli.