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One key talking point from the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is the future of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), whose contract expires at the end of the season and there’s been no news about the Spaniard’s plans. At the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, plenty was said about the topic, so we’ve gathered it all in one place for you...

THURSDAY’S INTERVIEW: “I don’t feel like I’m in a hurry to sign a new contract…”

The first chance to speak with the #1 came on Thursday, with Bautista discussing his future by saying: “Honestly, signing a new contract isn’t something I’m worried about, I’m not in a hurry. First, it’ll be important to see if I can reach my best performance with the bike because, from the first round, I didn’t feel that we were at our best. Our first target is to arrive to that level. After that, we’ll think about the future. I don’t feel like I’m in a hurry to sign a new contract. I’m relaxed and I’m just focused on myself, the bike, the track, and the team. From their side, I don’t feel like they’re pushing to Nicolo or me or other riders. They’re also working on the team for the future. At the moment, everybody’s very calm in the team. We’ll try to do well in the present and then think about the future.”

FRIDAY’S COMMENTS: “I would like to have something new now… next year is too far away for me”

Bautista was philosophical about his plans, saying: “I think there’s no timing. For me, it’s important to have fun with the bike; it’s the main reason I keep racing. First of all, I have to find the good feedback with the bike so I can ride as I want and then I will decide. I’m not in a hurry, I’m quite calm. The moment the team comes to me and says, ‘we have until this deadline for you to choose whether to stay or retire’, then I will think. At the moment, the team is happy and supporting me, so why think about the future if I have a lot of work to do in the present?”

Not specifically about his future, but about how things could look on-track in 2025, the 39-year-old addressed potential changes in his media debrief: “I speak with Gigi all the time, after all the tests and races. We are always in touch, not only when he comes to races. He knows what I need and request. The fact he’s here doesn’t change anything about the information. I know that there will be a new model, but I haven’t seen it yet. Honestly, I would like to have something new now that I’m racing; next year is too far away for me. Who knows what can happen?"

SAID ON SUNDAY: “I’d like to understand why I don’t have the feeling I had last year, and this is the main problem, not my decision about the future…”

Winless at Misano after a hat-trick here in 2023, Bautista spoke about previous comments where he said Misano was important for his future: “I said this weekend was important because we were coming from strange weekends like Australia, Barcelona is a tricky track and Assen with the mixed conditions. This weekend was like a more normal situation. It was important to recover the feeling. I didn’t. I feel that we’re working. I said after Misano, but that could be tomorrow, or in November; after Misano, we have a long time. I haven’t spoken with anybody, and we have a month before the next race. If I have something clear, I will do it. If not, I’ll wait. I’d like to understand why I don’t have the feeling I had last year, and this is the main problem, not my decision about the future.”

He expanded on this in his media debrief, adding: “At the moment, I don’t have any deadlines for my future. In my mind, there’s some questions and the main question is why I don’t have the same confidence as last year and what do I need to improve? About my future, I have no idea and Ducati or Aruba haven’t asked me what I want to do. Maybe in this month, before Donington, we’ll speak or not. I’m more worried about recovering my confidence on the bike than deciding my future.”

WHAT IS DUCATI’S VIEW? “Our first choice will be Alvaro”

Ducati Corse General Manager, Gigi Dall’Igna, was at Misano during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round and gave the Ducati point of view on the subject. He said: “We are renewing the contract with Aruba; we’ve almost closed the deal with them. After that, we also have to finalise the contracts with the riders. Alvaro is a double Champion with us, so he’s an important rider for us and we would like to continue with him. Andrea was without racing for four long years. He came back some months ago and it’s not easy. He’s shown his potential sometimes, but he has to improve a little bit. I’m confident because I know him and his talent. He can do very well. Our first choice, for sure, will be Alvaro.”

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