Montella (2nd): On course for his first win with a secure future and a new swingarm?

Yari Montella has had a strong 2026 Superbike season so far. In the overall standings, he is third, making him the closest challenger to the two Ducati factory riders, Nicolo Bulega and Iker Lecuona. On the first day at Donington, the Barni rider proved once again that he is completely at home on the Panigale V4R. In FP1 on Friday morning, he finished sixth, whilst in FP2 that afternoon he finished second, two tenths of a second behind championship leader Bulega.

“It was a normal Friday. We still had a few problems with the bike in the morning, but we managed to sort them out in the end. It went well in the afternoon and I enjoyed it,” was Montella’s summary of Day 1.

Why is Montella performing so strongly this season? “2026 is different. I’m a completely different rider; I’m faster than last year and have become much more consistent,” the 26-year-old explained. “We’re third in the championship, I’ve extended my contract with Barni for another year – my future is secure. That helps me to push harder whilst staying calmer. I can concentrate fully on riding and try to be as fast as possible.”

Does Montella see a chance at Donington to rattle the Aruba riders or break up the duo? “I hope so,” laughed the Italian. “Ultimately, that’s what we’re working towards. As you could see, that’s why we’ve also tried out a new swingarm on the bike. We’re doing everything we can to take a step forward and close the gap to the front. We had a good Friday; the pace and lap times were good.”

Suter swingarm set to bring a step forward

Unlike the factory riders, who are using Ducati’s standard swingarm, the Barni riders Montella and Bautista have fitted a swingarm from the Swiss premium manufacturer Suter to their Panigale V4R. Is this the better choice for Montella? “I think, with our bike and my riding style, this is the best solution at the moment,” he confirmed. “We tested this one at Misano, but it wasn’t the same swingarm there – it was a prototype at the time. After that, we had another test in Cremona ahead of World Ducati Week – that was the same swingarm we used today. It’s a little different from the one we had at Misano. That one was better in some areas, but not as good in others. It pushed the front wheel around a lot; I crashed twice with it at Misano. But today we were using a different swingarm and I enjoyed it. I hope I can enjoy it on Saturday as well.”

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Donington Park: Der Samstag

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11.07.2026 - 10:35

The new Suter swingarm is therefore being used for the first time at a race weekend in Donington – Day 1 was certainly promising. Team-mate Alvaro Bautista finished 6th in FP2.