The latest reports claim that Alvaro Bautista and Ducati will part ways at the end of the 2025 World Superbike Championship.
One of the biggest pieces of the 2026 World Superbike rider market is Alvaro Bautista and the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati squad.
The 2024 and 2025 seasons have been difficult for the two-time World Superbike Champion, and it looks as though the Italian manufacturer is ready to walk away from the 40-year-old.
According to reports from GPOne.com, Ducati has decided not to activate its option to keep Bautista for the 2026 World Superbike Championship.
In 2024, Bautista signed for the 2025 season with factory Ducati, and as part of his deal, he had the potential of a 2026 deal with the Italian manufacturer. However, according to the Italian news outlet, Ducati has decided 'they do not want to continue for next year.'
No official announcement has been made by Bautista or Ducati, but this move would be significant for the remainder of the World Superbike rider market.
As it stands ahead of the Misano World Superbike Round, Bautista is fourth in the Championship standings with nine podiums and no race wins to his name.
The Spaniard has been outperformed by his young teammate, Nicolo Bulega, across their two years together, and to afford to keep Bulega on board at Ducati, the Bologna-based manufacturer may have decided to cut ties with Bautista.
This new report is drastically different from what Bautista told WorldSBK.com ahead of the Czech Republic World Superbike Round. At the Autodrom Most, the Spaniard confirmed his plans to race in 2026, as he stated that 'the agreement is already signed' with Ducati for 2026.
