Where was Andrea Locatelli? The Yamaha works rider struggled in Jerez like never before

A fifth-place finish was the best result achieved by a Yamaha rider in the 2026 Superbike World Championship, secured by Andrea Locatelli in the second race at Phillip Island. By the midway point of the season, the Italian had achieved further single-digit finishes, but from Donington Park onwards, top-15 finishes dominated his results. Yet the 30-year-old had secured his first victory in the top category of the production-based World Championship at Assen in 2025 on the very same bike, as well as four podium finishes and 20 top finishes!

The season finale at Jerez was a low point for Locatelli. Starting from 20th on the grid, he could only manage 13th, 20th and 16th places. It was a bitter pill to swallow: it wasn’t down to any exceptional circumstances – the performance simply wasn’t there.

“Unfortunately, I just didn’t have that good feeling, and in Superpole I found it hard to set a solid lap time. In the first race, we managed to fight our way back quite well and make up a few places, but that wasn’t enough,” groaned Loka. “It was definitely not an easy weekend – I had major difficulties in the fast corners. We worked on finding a good feel for the bike and improving in that area, but it wasn’t easy.”

Locatelli finished his sixth Superbike season with the Pata factory team as the top Yamaha rider in 12th place, which says a lot about the Japanese manufacturer’s problems with the ageing R1.

“The season is over, and I’m not happy to have finished it like this, but as always, I gave it my all and tried to do everything I could,” assured the 2020 Supersport World Champion. “We know we need to take a different approach and try out some new developments to make progress, build confidence and take a step forward for next year. I believe we can achieve this together: Yamaha believes in me and I believe in them, so we’ll continue to work in this direction. Just a year ago, I was fighting for third place in the championship here, so I know I can do it.”

With no new bike on the horizon, Locatelli must pin his hopes on the new regulations for 2027, when a rev limit will complement the balance system.