Alvaro Bautista came within sight of an unexpected WorldSBK podium at Estoril, only for a front-end crash to end his Race 2 challenge with five laps remaining. The Barni Ducati rider had moved ahead of Alberto Surra for third place, but Surra ultimately took the podium after Bautista went down at Turn 1.

The result would have ended a podium wait that began after February. Bautista’s only WorldSBK podium of 2026 before Estoril had come in the wet Race 2 at Phillip Island. The two-time WorldSBK champion has now collected 129 podiums across almost eight seasons in the production-derived series, following his move from MotoGP. His world championship career began 24 years ago with a debut in the 125cc World Championship.

A difficult opening to Race 2

Bautista started from the front and made a good launch, but the opening phase was far from straightforward. He described the first five or six laps as a fight for survival rather than an opportunity to attack. The Ducati’s inertia was carrying him wide in the corners, while stopping the bike was also difficult, leaving him unable to ride at the pace or in the manner he wanted.

The situation began to change after the halfway point. Once he had completed 12 laps, Bautista saw that he was running fourth, with Surra ahead. His pace improved and he closed the gap, with the pair then battling for roughly two laps before Bautista made the pass for third.

Having taken the position, Bautista expected to settle into a consistent rhythm. Instead, he lost the front at Turn 1. He said he had not done anything unusual or changed his approach compared with the preceding laps, leaving him with what he called a “strange” and bittersweet feeling about the incident.

Speed that keeps the fight alive

Despite the missed podium, Bautista regarded the Estoril weekend as positive for himself and the team. The result showed that the Barni Ducati package had enough speed to challenge for the top three, even after the rider had spent the early laps managing a difficult motorcycle.

Bautista said he was proud of the team’s work and of the way it continued to fight. He stressed that he intends to keep pushing while he believes he still has the speed and performance to be competitive. In his view, the day he no longer feels that competitiveness or the “fire” to demonstrate his potential will be the day he stays at home. For now, he sees the pace as present, while accepting that sport can also require a measure of luck.

Estoril may have been close to Bautista’s final weekend as a full-time rider at world championship level, 24 years after his first appearance in the 125cc World Championship. That remains a possibility rather than a confirmed decision, but his performance in Race 2 offered a clear indication that he still sees podium contention as a realistic target when the package comes together.