Nicolo Bulega makes MotoGP test debut ahead of potential Marc Marquez replacement
Nicolo Bulega has completed his first MotoGP test ahead of a potential fill-in ride in place of Marc Marquez.
With the possibility of a fill-in ride in place of Marc Marquez on the horizon for Nicolo Bulega, the WorldSBK regular has completed his first test aboard Ducati’s MotoGP bike.
Having finished second in the 2025 World Superbike Championship to Toprak Razgatlioglu with the factory Aruba.it Racing Ducati team, Bulega is the obvious choice to replace the injured Marc Marquez – out of action since his crash with Marco Bezzecchi at the Indonesian Grand Prix that left him with fractures in his right shoulder – if you don’t want to choose Michele Pirro.
Pirro, Ducati’s official MotoGP test rider, has replaced Marquez for the Ducati Lenovo Team at both the Australian and Malaysian MotoGP races, but has been off the pace, finishing 18th and 17th at Phillip Island and Sepang, respectively.
Since Pirro seems incapable of scoring points – and, in any case, Ducati has all three MotoGP titles wrapped up this year, so any points scored now are relatively useless to the brands – choosing to place Bulega alongside Francesco Bagnaia inside the factory MotoGP begins to make sense for Ducati, especially given Bulega’s own MotoGP testing role in 2026, and his possibilities of moving to MotoGP full-time in 2027.
Time on the bike now can help get Bulega up to speed for what is to come, and any one-off races he does at the end of this year can be used by Ducati – and other manufacturers to some extent – to evaluate Bulega’s viability as a MotoGP rider.
But Bulega has been clear that he would need to test the MotoGP bike before being able to race it.
This requirement has now been fulfilled, as Bulega has been able to ride the Desmosedici at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, where less than two weeks ago he won all three races in the final WorldSBK round of the season and set a time in Superpole that would’ve been good enough to line up 14th in the MotoGP race earlier this year.
No times are available from Bulega’s test, which took place alongside a Michelin tyre test for WorldSBK, and whether or not he will replace Marquez at the next MotoGP race at Portimao on 7–9 November remains to be confirmed.
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
