Alvaro Bautista has hit back at a subtle claim fro♍m Andrea Iannone in Sepang.

“I learned I’m faster than Bautista last ye🎃ar,” Iannone quipped after his MotoGP comeback in 🌼Malaysia.

“I learned this.”

Iannone was racing in ꧒Mo🍨toGP for the first time since 2019 at the same track that Bautista rode at as a wildcard last year.

Bautista finished 17th in♏ 2023, also riding a Ducati, in his first MotoGP appearance in four years, like Iannone.

Bautista also qualifie🐓d second-last and was P22༒ in the sprint last year at Sepang.

Iannone matched Ba🌟utista’s P17 in the grand prix at this year’s round.

But his claim that he was faster ha💎s received a rebuttal.

“Oh my goodness…tꦡhank goodness there are times,” Bautista replied to Iannone via social media.

“Actually he was exactly two minutes faster than me, ღwith one lap less of course.

“Because if you take one lap off my time, to doও 19 like he did, I am three seconds faster…and i✅njured…”

Last year, Bautista revealed after his nightmare MotoGP wildcard in Sepang that he was carrying an injury from a p⛎rior craಌsh.

Tཧhis season, Bautಞista and Iannone have locked horns in the World Superbike Championship.

Bautista conceded his WSBK title 🐭to Toprak Razgatlioglu, and finished third in the championship. Iannone was seventꦡh in his first season after a four-year ban.

They w𓆏ill both be back in WSBK in 2025. And back in MotoGP? Who knows…