No mercy for Bautista: Sam Lowes (3rd) struck on the final lap

Following the 2026 World Superbike Championship season finale in Jerez, it remains unclear what the future holds for Álvaro Bautista. His Ducati team, Barni Racing, has already signed Xavi Vierge as his successor, and no other team has shown any interest in the services of the two-time World Superbike Champion. A move to the Chinese manufacturer CF Moto appears to be the last chance for the soon-to-be 42-year-old to continue his career in one way or another.

At the very least, the Spaniard managed a solid send-off in front of his compatriots with finishes of 4th, 6th and 4th. In the second race, Bautista was even on course for a podium finish until rain began to fall from the dark clouds over the circuit with five laps to go. Sam Lowes, who had already been two seconds adrift, closed the gap in huge strides and was right on the tail of the 63-time Superbike winner for the final three laps. The Englishman struck coolly on the final lap and, having finished 2nd and 3rd in the first race and the sprint, also made it onto the podium in the second long race.

“Álvaro put a lot of pressure on me and rode very well – battling against him is no easy task,” said the Englishman. “Our riding styles are completely different. He’s very fast on the straights and brakes the bike superbly. On Saturday I had massive problems with the front tyre in the final laps, but in the second race it was significantly cooler and I was a bit more careful with the tyre. I was then able to close the gap on him – as he’d probably been paying a bit more attention to the weather – and overtook him on the final lap.”

You can imagine: for Bautista, his world must have come crashing down at that moment. He put his heart and soul into what was likely to be his final Superbike appearance. “He had a good weekend and I really felt a bit sorry for him because he might not be here next year. But that’s just the way the game goes, unfortunately. I’ve lost quite a few podium finishes in the final metres myself,” argued the 36-year-old Lowes. “I hope a good opportunity still arises for him in 2027, if that’s what he wants. For me, it was great to end the season with my best weekend. A second place and two thirds are fantastic results for the team.”

The MarcVDS rider doesn’t believe the rain had any impact on the race. “I didn’t really take that many risks – white flags were waved, but it didn’t really start raining properly until after the race,” emphasised Lowes. “In the final laps, it just got darker and darker, and the lights beside the track were dazzling. I think Álvaro struggled a bit more with the tyres. The SC1 front tyre takes a real beating on the left-hand side in cooler conditions. Overall, the conditions were tricky, partly because the wind was really pushing against your body and the bike.”