Danilo Petrucci compares himself with Nicolo Bulega: “Everything I do, I’m slower”

Danilo Petrucci says the differences between himself and Nicolo Bulega are small, in terms of riding, but that, whatever he does, he ends up “slower” than his compatriot.

The two Italians shared the podium in Race 1 at the most recent World Superbike round at Donington, although Petrucci was unable to finish in the top-three again in either Sunday race.

Comparing the two this year, Petrucci has been unable to finish ahead of Nicolo Bulega in any race the both of them have completed.

“I think Nicolo [Bulega] is using the full potential, I’m at 90 or 95 [per cent] sometimes, but, more or less, he’s always faster, so he’s using better the bike,” Danilo Petrucci explained after Race 1 at the UK WorldSBK.

Petrucci said that Bulega’s strength is in the corners where there is not a lot of load placed on the front tyre.

“Here [at Donington], there are small differences,” he said.

“For example, in Misano he was really in another level in the corners where you don’t have the load on the front. When we brake, we are the same level, but in the corners where you don’t have to brake, you don’t have load on the front, he is incredibly faster.

“[At Donington] also, he is really good to stop the bike braking hard, pick up the bike and go. I’m trying always to be faster in the middle of the corner but sometimes it pays and sometimes not.

“It’s always small gaps, small differences, but at the end of the laps it’s two-tenths, three-tenths. In Misano it was five-tenths, six-tenth.

“But, still, every time I try to do something different, he is faster.

“When I brake harder, he brakes less and carries more speed; when I carry more speed, he brakes harder and he’s still fast. So, everything I do, I’m slower.

“Anyway, I’m happy because they [Bulega and Razgatlioglu] are really two great riders and I have, especially from looking at the data of Nicolo, good things to learn and especially always a good comparison.

“It’s good to have a rider so talented.”

Explaining the difference between himself and Bulega, Petrucci said there is some difference between his Barni Ducati and the factory Panigale of Bulega.

“There is something [between the satellite bike and the factory bike], because sometimes I came faster from the corner but at the end of the straight I’m slower,” he said.

“There is a small difference.

“But, for example, here [at Donington] it’s a small gap; in Misano, the engine was two- or three-tenths, but my gap was eight-tenths, so the rest of the half-a-second was Nicolo.

“This time, maybe we are closer and we are there, but I can’t complain about my bike.”