Alvaro Bautista 🌠will make a much-anticipated return to Du♋cati in 2022 as he aims to win the Italian manufacturer’s first WorldSBK title since 2011. 

Winner of 16 races in🐻 his one and only season aboard a Panigale V4 R thus far, Bautista re-joins the team after two difficult years with Honda. 

Bautista’s 2019 season with Ducati was in fact so good that he matched his overall podium ta𓆏lly at Honda in just the first three races of that season, three podiums that were all wins as he won the opening 11 races. 

With the team’s main title contend꧋er over the last two seasons Scott Redding leaving for BMW, and Michael Rinaldi falling short of what was expected, Bautista will undeniably start the season as the team’s best hope of winning a title.

But to accomplish that Bautista will need to beat both Topraꦦk Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea who are arguably in their prime, so while a championship win might be slightly too much to ask, the former MotoGP rider believes he has a bike without ‘weak p✱oints’, and crucially one that’s better than in 2019. 

Bautista has only had one outing on his new bike which came at Jerez following the 2021 season finale, but that hasn’t stopp🔥ed the 37 year-old from identifying where the bike has improved.

Speaking to , Bautista said: "I think that 𒉰the bike is more balanced today. Two years ago the bike had very positive characte♉ristics, but also very negative ones. 

"The thing now is th🍌at the advantages have been retained and the disadvantages have been improved. 

"The motorcycle is now easier to drive and no longer has an🦩y weak points. The basis from two years ago has been improved."