Ahead of this weekend's fifth round of the season at Donington Park, Bautista has built a lead of 36 points over nearest rival Jonathan Rea, with six victories from the first 12 races - five of which have come in full-length races.
Bautista's strong form is somewhat reminiscent of his first season in WSBK in 2019, when he dominated the opening part of the season with 11 straight wins on what was then an all-new V4 Panigale, only for his challenge to disintegrate with a series of crashes in the middle of the year.
