Alvaro Bautista finishes Misano MotoGP test “really happy”, sets strong lap

What already started out as a very promising day-one aboard the new factory Ducati MotoGP bike, went even better on Wednesday as Bautista set a best time of 1:32.590s.

While a comparison to last year’s best MotoGP times can’t realistically be made due to different track conditions and it taking place at a different time of year, Bautista’s lap time would have been very competitive in last season’s FP4.

Bautista would have finished inside the top ten, while his time was exactly seven tenths of Jack Miller’s pole time. 

Bautista set his best time on lap seven of his fourth stint, while also using soft tyres to achieve the lap time. 

“I’m so happy because from yesterday to today, I improved my feeling on the bike a lot,” added Bautista.

“We started with a good feeling on the bike but on the second day, I felt much more comfortable and much more like I’m used to riding this bike. 

“I enjoyed it a lot and it was so nice to work with all the guys here. 

“Step by step, we made small changes on the bike to make it more for me and my riding style, and to be more comfortable. I’m really happy with this test.”

Having been away from prototype machines since 2018, Bautista used day-one to get familiar with the bike, while day-two involved more thorough set-up changes and a new fuel tank being tested in order to improve his seating position, which was successfully achieved. 

“The programme was that on the first day, we’d just get a first impression on the bike and the second day, we made some modifications especially with the ergonomics,” said Bautista. 

“I asked to have a higher and narrower seat, but it was not possible. I asked for a narrower fuel tank. 

“They had it in the factory, so they brought it for the second day and it definitely helped me be more comfortable on the bike. 

“We started to touch the setup of the bike a little bit, to adapt it to my style, and to go together in the same direction. 

“All the small changes we made felt better and better and gave me more confidence on the bike. Today, we tried different tyres. We compared the soft and hard on the front. 

“The feeling was quite good, better than I expected. On the rear, we saw the difference between the soft and medium tyre.”