Nicolo Bulega “didn’t need much advice” from Pecco Bagnaia in MotoGP debut

Double MotoGP world champion Pecco Bagnaia says Nicolo Bulega “didn’t need much advice” during his debut at the Portuguese Grand Prix with Ducati.

The twice World Superbike runner-up has been drafted in by Ducati for the final two rounds of the 2025 campaign to deputise for the injured Marc Marquez.

Nicolo Bulega was previously a member of the VR46 Academy alongside Pecco Bagnaia and was a veteran of 99 grands prix starts in Moto3 and Moto2 ahead of his Portuguese Grand Prix MotoGP debut.

The Italian qualified in 18th, missing a spot in Q2 by a second, before crashing out in the sprint.

He said this was a result of his lack of understanding of the Michelin front tyre, which requires a much different approach to braking compared to the Pirelli’s he is used to in World Superbikes.

In the grand prix, Bulega came through to score his first MotoGP points in 15th.

Bagnaia heaped praise on Bulega’s efforts, and is expecting him to make another step this weekend in Valencia.

“He didn’t need too much advice,” he said.

“He was very strong from the start, and he was just unlucky [in the sprint] to crash.

“Maybe he lost a bit of confidence.

“But finishing the first race in the points is a good result, so he can be very happy. In Valencia, he can do another step in front.”

Bulega’s pace during the grand prix was impressive, with the No.11 only around 0.8s per lap slower than team-mate Bagnaia to the point that the latter crashed on lap 11 of 25.

Bulega’s turn as Marquez’s replacement comes as he gets set to spearhead the development of Ducati’s 2027 bike next year.

Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi noted during the Portuguese Grand Prix that the final two races, plus the Valencia test, were a good opportunity for Bulega to gain some data on the current bike to better compare when developing the 2027 machine.