After two championship-winning, dominant seasons in the World Superbike Championship, Álvaro Bautista was unable to replicate the same level of performance in 2024, finishing in third place.
The Aruba.it Ducati rider admitted, as quoted by GPOne.com, that he lost the confidence he once had in the bike and doubts whether he can regain it:
– It’s clear that in 2024, I struggled. Initially, I didn’t understand how to deal with the change, and I lacked confidence riding the bike. After the last race, I reflected a lot on the season and came to the conclusion that I was wrong. I was wrong because I tried to recover the confidence I had over the last two years. Unfortunately, I can’t find that confidence again.
WSBK regulations changed for 2024, introducing a minimum combined weight rule for the rider and bike. As one of the lightest riders on the grid, Bautista was particularly impacted by this adjustment and had to adapt. Additionally, he faced a surprisingly strong teammate in Nicolò Bulega, as well as a dominant Toprak Razgatlioglu riding for BMW.