Why timing of Nicolo Bulega’s MotoGP switch will make it “as easy as possible”

VR46 Ducati boss Pablo Nieto believes the timing of Nicolo Bulega’s move to MotoGP will make it “as easy as possible”.

Bulega will follow in the footsteps of his 2025 WorldSBK rival Toprak Razgatlioglu next year in moving to MotoGP.

But while Razgatlioglu’s first year has been difficult, adapting to a new championship, new team, and new Michelin tyres while also dealing with the early stages of a fundamentally new and different bike from Yamaha, Bulega will face fewer hurdles, theoretically.

The Italian, by comparison, will stay with Pirelli tyres, which will be new to most of the rest of the grid; the bike that will be new to him will be new to everyone else as well; and Ducati will be no earlier in the development process of its new Desmosedici than the other manufacturers of their respective bikes.

For Pablo Nieto, Bulega’s WorldSBK experience is something that will have prepared him well to make the step into MotoGP in 2027.

“We complete next year’s line-up with Nicolo Bulega, a rider who always proved to be very talented and determined,” said VR46 Racing Team manager Nieto.

“His journey has not been always easy, but he is dominating the WorldSBK: he proved to deserve a place in MotoGP. 

“Next year the regulation will change, and we will all start from zero. For sure, his experience with the WorldSBK tyres and the test with the new Ducati Desmosedici GP as a Ducati test rider will help him adapting well to the new category and making this journey as easy as possible. 

“We trust him and we know he will be able to fight for the most important goals.”

VR46 Ducati team director Alessio Salucci added: “We are very happy to welcome Nicolo [Bulega] to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. 

“We’ve been knowing him for many years, he started his career with us, and we achieved great results together. 

“Over the years, both him and the team have been growing a lot, and now we are here to make great things together. 

“We know he is a very talented rider since he was younger, and he proved that both in the past and currently, by dominating WorldSBK. 

“I think he is ready to embark this new journey with maturity and awareness. We are very proud to have him in our team, and we will give him the maximum support possible to help him achieve all his goals together.”