Bautista: 2022 Ducati 'more balanced, everything is in the right place'
Despite the 2022 Ducati WorldSBK machine remaining largely the same compared to that of 2019, Alvaro Bautista feels he has a 'more balanced' bike ahead of the new season.
Bautista, who was third quickest at the recent Portimao test, was on the newest version of the Panigale V4-R after last riding for Ducati in 2019.
While 2019 was one of the best individual seasons from a statistical point of view - Bautista won 16 races as a rookie - not to mention the first 11 in succession, the Spanish rider was left without the title after Jonathan Rea produced a brilliant comeback as the campaign went on.
But having now returned to Ducati with more experience, a better understanding of WorldSBK machinery, and the Bologna-based manufacturer having arguably the most complete bike on the grid, Bautista could be set to go one better this upcoming season.
For that to happen, it will take an even bigger effort than three years ago as Rea and newly-crowned world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu are both at the top of their game.
Having had two tests on the Aruba.it Racing Ducati so far, Bautista has concluded that no drastic changes have taken place from the 2019 bike to this year’s, however, the overall base of the Panigale V4-R is 'in the right place' according to the former MotoGP rider.
"The difference between 2019 and now with the bike… there is no big difference," Bautista told WorldSBK.com. "What I felt is that in my first year with this bike, with Ducati, the bike was very strong, but it was not a balanced bike.
"Sometimes it was very, very fast and worked really well, but sometimes we had a lot of problems. What I found on my last time with this bike in November was that the bike was more balanced.
"Maybe the strong points were more or less the same, but also the weaker points were a bit better. They improved and made a more balanced bike. I think it’s easier to ride.
"They worked a lot with the power delivery. Basically, there is no big change on the bike, but everything is more in the right place."
