SBK, Bautista-Barni with full Ducati support: "Factory rider treatment"

Bautista confirms that in 2026 he will be well supported technically even as he moves to the independent Barni Spark team.

Ducati did not confirm him in the factory team, but Alvaro Bautista will still ride the new Panigale V4 R in 2026. He will do so for the Barni Spark team, which has found in him an excellent replacement for Danilo Petrucci, who moved to BMW after a positive three-year stint with Marco Barnabò’s squad. The potential is high, and so are the expectations in terms of results.

Interviewed by Sport.es, the two-time WorldSBK champion spoke again about his move to the Barni Spark Racing Team: "Barni wanted to take a step forward, because lately they’ve been doing very well and are a growing team. But they wanted to make sure they had the right equipment, because they know my potential and they know I can fight for a world championship."

Bautista had the chance to observe and appreciate the work done by Marco Barnabò’s team and pushed to put himself in the best possible technical conditions, securing excellent technical support: "The first thing I wanted was to have factory treatment from Ducati. I had some conversations with Gigi Dall’Igna and Marco Zambenedetti. And Gigi promised me 100% factory equipment. I will have the same treatment, the same conditions as the factory riders, within the Barni team." The Spaniard achieved his goal.

The 41-year-old from Talavera de la Reina is convinced he made the best possible choice for the 2026 Superbike World Championship, as he will continue to race a Ducati and do so for the best independent team in recent years: "Barni is a winning type and gives his all, he showed a lot of interest in me, I received a lot of affection from the team even without being part of it and I knew that if I wanted to fight to win I had to have a Ducati. The best choice was to try to stay with Ducati, so I fought to be with Barni. We’ll see what the future holds, but there’s a lot of desire, a lot of hope and this change of air has given me a new spark."

Even though Nicolò Bulega will be the big favorite to win the SBK title, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Bautista still a protagonist with the Italian team. He will certainly have the potential to claim podiums. Despite his age, he is still very competitive.

In 2026 the new Panigale V4 R will compete, already tested by Alvaro during a test in Aragon and still to be explored in depth, even though the first impressions were positive: "The bike has undergone some important changes—he explains—From an aerodynamic standpoint some modifications have been made, borrowing a bit from MotoGP. The frame has also been slightly revised. In Aragón I couldn’t do a proper test, because at that time they were still trying out some parts that had to be included on the production bike before being used on the race bike. The first impression was very positive, but I don’t know what the bike’s level is."

He liked the first contact with the new Ducati, but more tests will be needed to fully understand its potential. Bautista and the Barni Spark Racing Team will be on track with the rest of the Superbike grid for tests at Jerez (January 21–22), Portimao (January 28–29), and Phillip Island (February 16–17).