Jonathan Rea (Honda) on Bautista: “He’s not getting the most out of it”

When Álvaro Bautista moved from MotoGP to the 2019 Superbike World Championship, the Spaniard, riding the then-new Ducati V4R, pushed Jonathan Rea to the brink of defeat. However, following a strange run of mistakes and crashes by Bautista, the Kawasaki rider went on to win his fifth world title at the end of the season, followed by his sixth and final title in 2020. Rea and Bautista continued to battle regularly for top positions in the 2022 and 2023 seasons as well, though it was the Ducati rider who emerged as world champion.

The two veterans are well placed to assess each other’s abilities. Rea, who now works as a test rider for Honda Racing Corporation, is puzzled by his long-standing rival’s current struggles.

“To be honest, he’s not getting the most out of the package. From the outside, it looks as though he’s struggling. But unless you’re in his shoes or part of the team, you don’t understand what’s going on. It’s not really my place to comment on that,” Crash.net quotes the Northern Irishman as saying. “He’s a hugely talented bloke. His potential is greater; the bike’s potential is greater. So, for some reason, the whole package isn’t working. I’m not sure why.”

Bautista will be riding for a customer team for the first time in the 2026 Superbike World Championship. At Barni Racing, the three-time world champion (1x 125cc, 2x SBK) has a current-spec V4R at his disposal, though he has only managed to secure a podium finish with it at the season opener at Phillip Island. After eight of twelve rounds, the Spaniard sits ninth in the overall standings with 107 points, 384 points behind championship leader Nicolò Bulega (Ducati).