Mattia Rato made his debut in the World Superbike Championship on the opening day of the Jerez Test.

For the 2026 World Superbike season, Mattia Rato will replace Michael Ruben Rinaldi in the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team with the Yamaha R1.

However, the Italian rider will be a rookie for the 2026 season and has little to no experience on a Superbike after graduating from the CIV Supersport Championship.

After his one day of testing on the Yamaha R1, Rato was taken aback by the power of a Superbike around the Circuito do Jerez.

"It was incredible! The power, the electronics, they were all new for me," Rato told WorldSBK.com after his first World Superbike Test.

"But the thing that is stranger, and more difficult, is the brakes. This bike brakes a lot, and within a second, you are slow, too slow. I need to improve that."

Rato was asked about his first day on a Superbike, and explained how difficult it had been trying to lap at a similar pace as the 'incredible' Superbike riders.

"It was so, so. I always want to do a better lap or be in P1," he explained.

"But I know it is difficult here. Also, because they have had the races, and they are on another level. Nicolo [Bulega] is incredible, I don't know how he did it. But step by step, I think I can do better than today."

The 20-year-old moved across from the Italian Championship to the World Superbike Championship, and thinks 'it is strange' to be lapping with Nicolo Bulega, Andrea Locatelli, and Iker Lecuona.

"It is all so strange," he stated.

"This year in the Italian Championship, I was with Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who is a World Champion. But here, all of the riders are incredible. So, it is strange."