Why Nicolo Bulega was “lucky” to make a mistake at Hungarian WorldSBK

Nicolo Bulega thinks he was “lucky” at the Hungarian WorldSBK to make a mistake during the Superpole Race.

Bulega ultimately led the Superpole Race from lights to flag after a red flag which led to the race being shortened from 10 laps to eight, but he was in trouble on the first start before the red flag came out on the opening lap.

The Italian’s difficulties in the first Superpole Race start began at turn one. Yari Montella got out of shape on the brakes and missed the corner, almost collecting Bulega. 

That left the championship leader mid-pack, and he lost more ground when he went wide at turn five. However, this mistake, which Bulega admits was his own, turned out to be fortunate as it kept him clear of the contact between Miguel Oliveira and Andrea Locatelli that saw them both crash, brought out the red flags, and sent Oliveira to hospital with a concussion.

“The problem was just that the first corner Montella arrived very strong,” Nicolo Bulega said, speaking to WorldSBK.com after Race 2.

“Fortunately I heard him, so I picked up the bike and let him pass, but I go very wide, then I was a bit in the back. 

“Then I was lucky because when Miguel [Oliveira] and Loka [Andrea Locatelli] crashed, I was wide in that turn for my mistake, so I was lucky to make a mistake. 

“Then red flag, then we start again, I did everything very good and I’m really happy for this weekend.”

Bulega’s three wins in Balaton put him on 16 in succession now and he’s become the first rider to win the opening 12 rounds of a season. He’s now 84 points clear at the top of the championship over his team-mate Iker Lecuona, and he believes that we are not through his worst track on the calendar.

“Honestly, I’m really happy, even more than the last rounds because this is my worst track,” he said.

“For my riding style, it’s always very difficult to ride here, so I really wanted this hattrick here in Balaton because, like I said, it’s my worst track. 

“Before the weekend, I was thinking ‘If I can win here, it’s very important for the championship and for the next rounds’.”

Winning so many races in a row in the kind of style Bulega has managed it means the question of an unbeaten season becomes marginally more realistic with eight rounds still remaining. Bulega isn’t concerned by this yet, though, as he knows there are things out of his control that could prevent such an achievement.

“Too long to know,” he said when asked if he could win every World Superbike race in 2026.

“We have to see. There are some tracks that I like more or less. 

“The championship is very long, the weather can change something because sometimes the weather can be very tricky, so we will see during the weekend and the season, but normally I think race-by-race.”