SBK, Lecuona jabs at Bautista: "It’s not just the ballast’s fault." Alvaro responds

The Aruba Ducati rider speaks directly and candidly about Bulega, Bautista and more: Alvaro’s response has also arrived.

Iker Lecuona is experiencing his best season since arriving in the Superbike World Championship. After four complicated years with Honda, in 2026 he moved onto the new Panigale V4 R and everything changed. He’s coming off nine second places across Portimao, Assen and Balaton, sits second in the overall standings, and can look to the rest of the championship and his future in the class with confidence.

He certainly wants to be able to fight with Nicolò Bulega and beat him, but right now he can be satisfied with the path he’s taking in a reality completely different from that of the HRC team. If he keeps this up, he’ll secure a contract renewal for the 2027 SBK season.

The Spanish rider gave a good interview to the Duralavita podcast, speaking without filters about his relationship with Bulega as well, which is limited to a few pleasantries: “I’m a very open person, he’s very quiet and reserved. We don’t have a bad relationship. Sunday was the first time that in parc fermé he came over and said to me, ‘Wow, what a lap you did!’. We basically don’t talk, we say hello and not much else. He’s not like Toprak, he lacks charisma.”

Personality-wise they are two very different people, and they are also different in riding style. Lecuona highlighted his lesser experience with Ducati and also the aspect in which Bulega is making the biggest difference compared to him: “This year we are seeing the best Nicolò. It’s his fifth season with Ducati and he knows the bike like the back of his hand, I’ve only done four rounds. The biggest difference between us is in the first three laps, in which he rides incredibly well without destroying the tires: that phase is what I pay for the most. It’s about having more trust in the bike, I’m getting closer.”

The Valencian rider already knows he wants to stay with Aruba Ducati’s colors in the 2027 Superbike World Championship, even if the renewal talks haven’t taken off yet: “I have a one-year contract, with no option, but my intention is to continue with the team. They’re happy with me. I know that on Saturday night my manager spoke with them. I’m calm, I’m not thinking about the future now, I’m thinking about the races, because I hadn’t enjoyed riding a motorcycle like this in many years.”

After four seasons at Honda with crashes, injuries and often disappointing results, now he wants to enjoy the Panigale V4 R. He knows that by consistently taking podiums, the contract extension will also come. He’s doing things right and the garage is satisfied with his work. As Serafino Foti made us understand in an interview (HERE the link), the priority is to understand what Bulega will do and then everything else will be defined.

Alvaro Bautista keeps reiterating that Bulega is dominating because he doesn’t have real rivals and that he’s penalized by the minimum weight rule. Lecuona spoke on the topic as follows: “I read a statement from Nicolò and he’s right: Alvaro is throwing stones at his own roof, he’s saying things that are counterproductive for him. He has the same bike as the factory riders, even if with a few extra kilos. I’m not saying this can’t affect him, but not so much that it makes him finish 15–20 seconds behind us. There’s something more than the 7-kilo ballast.”

The current Aruba Ducati rider recalled that Scott Redding pushed hard for a regulation capable of slowing Bautista, but he believes the ballast doesn’t justify the gap the two-time SBK world champion is taking: “The decision was made for a rider who is no longer here and who was a crybaby, Redding. A small rider has advantages and disadvantages. It certainly doesn’t help, because the inertia changes, but if you’re 2–3 seconds back I can accept the argument; if you’re 15–20, no.”

Alvaro saw a video with Lecuona’s words and commented on Instagram: “I think the best way to see it is to remove it… don’t you think??”. The Barni Spark Racing Team rider thinks that to really see the situation, a counter-test is needed, namely to have him race without the extra 7 kilos. It’s not possible; no changes are planned to a regulation that Ducati itself also voted for when the controversial rule was introduced. Everything will remain unchanged.