Alvaro Bautista says he had no “new items” to test at the Jer🍌ez WorldSBK test, and focused on setup instead.

Although Ducati has༺ become the strongest manufacturer in WorldSBK in recent years – winning back-to-back titles with Alvaro Bautista, and taking victories with satellite riders Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci last year – its current Panigale V4 R is now in its final year, with a new generation set to replace it for the 2026 season.

Perhaps as a result of the stage the current bike is at in its life cycle, there was an absenc📖e of new material for Ducati’s factory riders to try in Jerez, according to Bautista.

“Basically, yesterday w✤e didn’t use any new items from Ducati,” ജBautista told WorldSBK.com.

“For sure Ducati worked a lꦉot during the winter, but not for some items, just with the base we have to improve a little bit in some aಌreas, especially on the electronics side.”

With no new parts to try, Bautista was just continu✃ing with the setup work he began in the post-season tests last year.

“Basic✃ally, yesterday we continued the work we started in November where we changed absolutely all the bike; a new setup trying to find anothꦇer way to go fast because we need to make a step forward from 2024, and we tried a different way to work,” he said.

“So, yesterday we continued this work – we didn’t touch many things because with these conditions we had with the wind it🅰 was difficult to understand if it can be better or not.

“Basically, we just made some kilometres just trying to adapt the body, the feeling, the mind, because after three months you need to restart again. So, it was lꦑike 👍the first day to make a good ‘shakedown’ and don’t make mistakes.”

The one new piece that Ducati is expected to introduce for 2025 is a new exhaust, and Bautista said he 🉐will get his first chance to try it at next♌ week’s test in Portimao.

“I wil🐷l test it fo♊r the first time in Portimao,” he said.

“Fortunately we don’t have many days between this test and the next one, so let’s see becaꦓuse it will be the la𒐪st test in Europe, then we will fly to Australia for the first race, so it will be important to get more feedback.

“I hope ♛the weather is gܫood there and [we will] try to find a good setup, a good base for the first round.”

Bautista and his teammate Nicolo Bulega both elected not to ride on Thursday at the test, the Spaniard explaining that this was down to the limited number of test days – without running on Thursday, Bulega and Bautista (and everyone else who didn’t run on Thursday) each have a daᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚy now that they can use later in the year when perhapsꦇ conditions will be better.

“Today in the rain, we didn’t want to throw away a day of testing because we don’t have a lot during the season, so ꦦno need to ride in these conditions, in wet conditions,” he said.

“We need now to make a better setup and find 🐻a good setup for the dry. So, not the best w༺ay to start the preseason, but it could have been worse if we could not ride in both days.”

Bautista was also slightly displeased with the conditions that faced the ꦐriders 🐼on Wednesday: dry, but windy.

“For sure it h▨as been really two difficult days,” he said.

“Yesterday we were lucky that it didn’t rain, but it was too windy. Sincerely, I didn’t feel so comfortable riding in those ꦕconditions, but at least it was dry so we could make some first kilometres of tඣhe preseason, to recover the feeling after three months without riding these bikes.

“So, it was positive ﷽to get back again to riding, but for sure it was not the best conditions possible.🔥”