‘Ducati is very fast’ - VR46 responds to Bulega’s 850cc MotoGP pace
VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto reacts to Nicolo Bulega’s reported pace on Ducati’s 2027 MotoGP prototype.
While the current MotoGP machines were being prepared for this weekend’s British Grand Prix, next year’s 850cc prototypes completed a private test at Mugello on Thursday.
Although no lap times for the 2027 prototypes, running on Pirelli tyres, have been officially released from any of the tests, GPone.com reports that Nicolo Bulega put Ducati fastest by 1.2s from the Honda of Takaaki Nakagami.
Lorenzo Savadori’s Aprilia and Dani Pedrosa’s KTM were reportedly next on the timesheets.
Although VR46 is yet to officially confirm any of its 2027 rider line-up, runaway WorldSBK title leader Bulega is set to join Valentino Rossi’s team alongside Fermin Aldeguer, from Gresini.
Asked by MotoGP pit lane reporter Jack Appleyard about Bulega’s impressive pace at Mugello, VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto responded:
“I'm very happy that [850cc] Ducati is very fast. So this is the most important thing.
“Because in the end, it's going to be a new era, completely new for everyone.
“But it's very important that we continue in the same range, the same atmosphere.
“And at the moment, we have to say that Ducati is doing very good work.”
Current VR46 rider Fabio di Giannantonio starts the second half of the season as one of five riders within 24 points of the title lead.
“It's very nice that we are fighting for the championship. Five people in 24 points - we know that this is going to be very, very difficult,” Nieto said.
“But the most important thing is that we are protagonists. We will try to fight until the end.
“You never know what happens, so we have to continue thinking race by race… And then when we get to the overseas races, we will see.”
di Giannantonio, who is moving to the factory KTM team for 2027, reverted to the older aero package during FP1 at Silverstone following two Sunday accidents with the new fairing at Sachsenring.
With Diggia already so strong, had it been a mistake to try the new aero in Germany?
“Good question, but no. I think sometimes this happens when you have something that is already working - and also the rider sometimes wants to try something else,” Nieto said.
“We tried the other aerodynamics, but the difference is just a little bit. So we came back because he feels very good with this fairing, and at the moment, also at this track, he's very, very fast. We think that it's better this one.”
di Giannantonio’s team-mate Franco Morbidelli, who is being linked with Bulega’s Ducati WorldSBK seat next season, was ninth in FP1 on the satellite-spec GP25 machine.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
