Alvaro Bautista saw a rare podium finish slip away in dramatic fashion during Race 2 at Estoril, crashing out with just five laps remaining while running in third place. The two-time WorldSBK champion was on course for his first top-three result since February before the late incident dashed his hopes in the production-derived championship.
The seasoned Spaniard has endured a difficult 2026 campaign following his transition years from MotoGP, having secured only a single podium finish prior to this weekend—coming in the wet Race 2 at Phillip Island. However, a resurgence at Estoril saw him successfully chase down Alberto Surra in the latter stages of the race to claim the final provisional podium spot.
Unfortunately, disaster struck at turn one in the closing laps when the Barni Ducati rider suffered a front-end crash that handed the position back to his rival. Speaking after the race, Bautista admitted to being left with a strange feeling, explaining that he could only begin attacking after the halfway point due to initial handling struggles.
"Well, I have a strange feeling, like a bittersweet feeling," Alvaro Bautista told WorldSBK.com after Race 2 at Estoril. He detailed how the opening laps were purely about survival due to machine inertia and braking issues.
"In the first five or six laps, for me it’s just to survive – I cannot attack, I cannot do anything, so it’s a big problem for me. But, in any case, when I passed 12 laps I saw I was fourth, I had Surra in front of me, and I was getting better pace, I caught him, and fought a little bit for a couple of laps for third place. When I was in front, I thought 'Okay, now I can put my pace, keep consistent,' but in turn one I lost the front," he explained.
Despite the heartbreaking finish, Bautista remains proud of his overall weekend performance, proving that his speed is still intact as he continues to push forward through a challenging racing season.
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