Nicolo Bulega MotoGP test speed “really good” but potential “difficult” to predict

It’s currently “difficult to say” how good Nicolo Bulega will be in MotoGP, says Gigi Dall’Igna.

Bulega has been testing Ducati’s new 850cc MotoGP all year, although he had to miss the post-race test in Austria last week after crashing in Mugello and hurting his left shoulder.

The Italian then headed to Cremona Circuit and had his worst weekend of the WorldSBK season, finishing second in all three races, which was enough to clinch the title at round 10 anyway, such had been his dominance before that point.

That dominance had earned him a MotoGP ride for 2027, but it’s also been Bulega’s performance at the 850cc tests that has impressed Ducati top brass in 2026.

“This is not the normal path to go to MotoGP,” Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna told WorldSBK.com after Race 2 at Cremona.

“But Nicolo [Bulega] did a fantastic job in Supersport, in Superbike, and not only: he did a really great job also on the evolution of the 850cc, next year’s machine

“We worked quite close with this new bike and we are really happy about the job that he did.

“We all together took the decision to have him with us in MotoGP next year.”

But Dall’Igna is not ready to commit on expectations for Bulega in grand prix racing’s premier class.

“It’s difficult to [say] something about that now,” he said when asked how Bulega could do in MotoGP.

“We have to wait until Valencia test. 

“But anyway, the lap times that he did in the other race tracks where we tested was really good. So, I think that he can do quite well.”

Bulega’s replacement at Ducati’s factory WorldSBK team has not yet been announced, although both Franco Morbidelli and Claudio Domenicali have strongly suggested it will be the 2017 Moto2 champion who will take the seat alongside Iker Lecuona.