Bautista holds a 17-point lead in the riders’ standings over Jonathan Rea after the opening three rounds of the season, while Ducati likewise sits ahead of Kawasaki in the manufacturers’ stakes.
Although a crash involving Rea’s Kawasaki and the Yamaha of Toprak Razgatlioglu in the final race at Assen has played in Bautista’s favour, both he and Ducati have proved rapid in the opening part of the 2022 campaign.
