Bulega’s Big Ducati Dream: More Than Just ‘Vroom Vroom’! 💨
Forget your average job interview—Nicolo Bulega is auditioning for one of the hottest seats in motorsport, and the pressure is higher than a wheelie on the main straight! The World Superbike (WSBK) star, who was the overall runner-up in the riders’ standings in both 2024 and 2025, has his eyes locked on a 2027 MotoGP ride with Ducati. And let’s be honest, getting a seat with the “Red Team” is like a car racer getting a gig with Ferrari.
Why Nicolo is Ducati’s New Flavor of the Month
It’s not just his talent; it’s a perfect storm of timing and tyres:
- The Pirelli Advantage: In 2027, MotoGP is switching to 850cc engines, reducing aero, banning ride-height devices, and—most critically—changing from Michelin to Pirelli tyres!
- Ducati’s Secret Weapon: Ducati has confirmed that Bulega will be the lead development rider for the 2027 prototype in 2026. Why? Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi said Bulega “will be the guy who will develop the bike, because we think that Nicolo will have in ’26 the experience and the speed to do this with the tyres.”
- WSBK Numbers Talk: In his 2025 WSBK season alone, Bulega had a standout year:
- He finished the season as the championship runner-up (for the second year in a row!).
- He achieved 20 Superbike victories (yes, 20!) battling directly with three-time champion Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Bottom line: Ducati believes his deep experience with Pirelli rubber gives him a huge advantage in fine-tuning their next-gen MotoGP machine.
💥 The 2027 Grid: A Complete Contract Catastrophe!
The 2027 season is setting up to be the most chaotic ‘silly season’ in years, because almost the entire grid’s contracts expire at the end of 2026.
| Factory Team | Key Rider Contracts Expire at the End of 2026 |
| Ducati Lenovo Team | Marc Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia |
| Monster Energy Yamaha | Fabio Quartararo, Álex Rins |
| Red Bull KTM Factory | Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder |
| Honda HRC | Luca Marini, Joan Mir |
| Aprilia Racing | Jorge Martín, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia has a multi-year contract for both through 2026) |
- The Factory Dilemma: Ducati is waiting to see how their current factory duo—two-time champion Francesco Bagnaia (who has had some struggles this season) and living legend Marc Marquez (who may jump ship if the new regulations don’t favor Ducati)—perform in 2026 before making their choices.
- The Talent Pipeline: Bulega isn’t Ducati’s only option. They also have the highly-touted Fermín Aldeguer stepping up to a Ducati satellite team (Gresini) with a 2026 contract and an option for two further years into the 2027-2028 seasons.
Bulega’s Take: “I Want to Deserve Things”
Bulega isn’t just asking for a handout. After his MotoGP debut as a replacement for Marquez—where he scored a point in both the Portuguese and Valencia Grands Prix—he’s focused on earning it.
“If I do MotoGP, it’s because I want to do it well. Just to say that I’m a MotoGP rider when I go to the bar with friends… I don’t want to do it just like that.”
It’s a high-stakes, high-octane poker game, and Bulega holds a very valuable card: the development of the 2027 bike. If he can turn that test bike into a rocket for the new regulations, a dream seat with the “Red Team” is absolutely on the table.
The 13-Point Thriller: Bulega vs. Razgatlioglu Was INSANE!
You asked just how close Nicolo Bulega came to the championship, and the answer is: razor thin!
The 2025 World Superbike (WSBK) season was a true battle royale between Nicolo Bulega and Toprak Razgatlioglu, going down to the final race of the season at the Pirelli Spanish Round in Jerez.
Here are the final, nail-biting results that set the stage for Bulega’s MotoGP dream:
| Position | Rider | Team | Total Points | Key Stat |
| 1st (Champion) | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad | 616 | 21 Wins |
| 2nd (Runner-Up) | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 603 | 14 Wins |
| 3rd | Álvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 337 | 0 Wins |
🔍 Digging Into the Drama: Why 13 Points is HUGE
- The Tiny Gap: Bulega finished the season just 13 points behind the three-time World Champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu. Considering a single Race 2 win is worth 25 points, this race-long duel was an absolute thriller!
- Podium King: Bulega actually secured more podiums than the champion, proving his consistency:
- Bulega: 32 Podiums (14 Wins, 18 Second Places)
- Razgatlioglu: 31 Podiums (21 Wins, 9 Second Places, 1 Third Place)
- The Valencia Connection: The most dramatic moment was at the final round in Jerez, where Bulega took Razgatlioglu out in the Superpole Race (a controversial move that Bulega won, but cost Toprak valuable points and track position for the main race). Despite the tension, Bulega had a perfect hat-trick at the final round, winning all three races!
- The MotoGP Impact: This incredible, high-pressure performance—scoring over 600 points and battling a three-time champion until the literal final day—is the exact evidence Ducati needed to justify his call-up for their 2027 MotoGP program.
This performance did not just earn Bulega the runner-up title; it earned him the title of “Most Likely to Steal a Factory MotoGP Seat.”
🤯 Bulega Beats the Champion! Valencia Test Results (The Shocking Truth) 💥
If Bulega needed one more mic-drop moment to prove he belongs in MotoGP, the post-season Valencia Test was it. Stepping in for the injured Marc Marquez, Nicolo Bulega didn’t just hold his own against the established factory riders—he finished the day faster than his three-time World Champion teammate, Francesco Bagnaia!
Here is the breakdown of the final leaderboard for the factory Ducati riders:
| Position | Rider | Team | Best Lap Time | Gap to Bulega |
| 8th | Nicolo Bulega | Ducati Lenovo Team | 1:29.661s | — |
| 10th | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo Team | 1:29.731s | +0.070s |
The Real Story Behind the Clock ⏱️
🟢 Nicolo Bulega’s Performance: “Less Stress” = More Speed
Bulega finished the test in 8th position, just 0.288 seconds off the fastest time of the day set by Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia).
- Key Takeaway: This was Bulega’s first chance to ride the MotoGP bike without the immense pressure of a race weekend. He admitted: “I needed some laps with no pressure and with time to improve… At the end of the day I was much faster, much more confident with the bike – and also the laptime was quite good. I did a mistake in my fastest lap, could’ve been even two tenths better.” (Imagine if he hadn’t made that mistake—he could have been P5!)
🔴 Francesco Bagnaia’s Response: “I Don’t Care”
Current three-time World Champion Francesco Bagnaia finished 10th, 0.070 seconds slower than Bulega.
- The Context: While a slower time might raise eyebrows, Bagnaia was focused purely on R&D (Research and Development). He spent his day testing the first version of the GP26 engine, new aero packages, and bike setups. He even crashed while trying to push for a late time.
- The Quote: When asked about being slower than Bulega, Bagnaia was diplomatic: “I don’t care what people say… The test is to work on the bike, not to make the fastest lap time. Happy things went well, the feeling in braking was much better.” He was, however, very complimentary of Bulega’s speed.
🌟 The Conclusion for Ducati’s Decision Makers
The test result is a massive boost to Bulega’s case. It proves:
- Raw Speed: He can instantly run a factory-level pace in the premier class.
- Adaptability: He quickly understood and adapted to the bike in a high-pressure environment.
- Potential: If he’s already this fast with minimal seat time, his potential on the 2027 bike (which he will be helping to develop) is enormous.
This is a red-hot argument for Bulega to skip the satellite teams and jump straight into a factory seat for 2027, especially with the high probability that Marc Marquez might leave if the new regulations don’t suit the Ducati package.
Source
Ducati Confirms Major 2027 Role & Bulega’s Dream:
Ducati Team Boss Confirms Bulega as 2027 Lead Developer:
Official Ducati Announcement of Test Role:
MotoGP Official Site on Bulega’s Test Role Importance:
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