Minimum weight confirmed in WorldSBK, Alvaro Bautista lashes out: "They're afraid"

Bautista, via an Instagram story, comments on the confirmation of the much-debated rule that penalizes him in Superbike.

Last Sunday saw the presentation of the Barni Spark Racing Team, the first WorldSBK squad to unveil its bikes for 2026. Alongside the confirmed Yari Montella is newcomer Alvaro Bautista, a rider who has already won two world titles in the category and who, despite being 41, has no intention of stopping. Not even the confirmation of the minimum weight rule has pushed him into retirement.

In recent hours the FIM has issued the regulations for the 2026 season, including the entry concerning the minimum weight, in place since 2024. The reference remains 80 kg, and 0.5 kg of ballast must be added for every kilogram short of that figure. It’s a rule that forced Bautista to race with about 6–7 kg of extra weight over the past two years. The same will happen in 2026, despite his efforts to change the regulation, even asking riders to sign a petition to abolish the rule. Everyone signed it, except Jonathan Rea.

But a petition isn’t enough; the manufacturers need to agree for a change to happen. The conditions to amend the rule did not materialize, and Alvaro expressed his discontent via an Instagram story: "It seems the factories are afraid to remove the combined weight. #Injustice." In the photo posted by the Barni Spark Racing Team rider, there’s also a comparison with MotoGP, where the rule doesn’t exist, even though some riders (for example, Luca Marini) have proposed introducing it.

The two-time WorldSBK champion knew that his battle was unlikely to end in his favor. He will have to continue racing and fighting with ballast on his Ducati Panigale V4 R, as in 2024 and 2025. With two years of experience behind him and a new bike, perhaps a solution will be found to make the extra weight less problematic to manage. Even though 6–7 kg more isn’t insignificant, it will remain a disadvantage for Bautista. We’ll see how it goes.