“Feeling is not like I want” but Nicolo Bulega starts UK WorldSBK in dominant form

Nicolo Bulega was fastest in both Friday practices at the UK WorldSBK, but felt he had an imperfect feeling on the bike.

Alex Whitworth

10 Jul 2026

Nicolo Bulega, 2026 UK WorldSBK. Credit: Tony Goldsmith.

Nicolo Bulega has made a habit of dominating WorldSBK since last October and it seems to be showing now signs of letting up at the final race before the summer break of the 2026 season.

Bulega was over 0.2 seconds clear of the field at Donington on Friday at the UK WorldSBK, a margin achieved despite an imperfect feeling aboard his factor Ducati Panigale V4 R.

“Not bad, because I am P1, but the feeling is not like I want,” said Nicolo Bulega after FP2 at Donington.

“So, we have to improve because in some areas I’m not very comfortable on the bike, but in general the pace was not so bad.”

The Italian came to the UK after winning the Ducati Race of Champions at Misano last week.

In all, it’s been a busy period for Bulega with 850cc MotoGP tests as well, and he is feeling the effects of his schedule by now.

“The last month I was more to make events and ride bikes than stay at home,” he said.

“Okay, there are for sure harder things in life than ride bikes, but after some days also your body needs a bit of relax because it’s a very hard sport, so sometimes you need a break.

“So, [not] after this race because I have another MotoGP test, but after this next MotoGP test I want to take 15 or 20 days far from the bike.”

Adding to Bulega’s schedule on Thursday was a trip to the Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of 100th anniversary celebrations for Ducati.

“I’d never been at Goodwood,” Bulega said.

“For sure it’s a great event because there are a lot of motorsport fans, and [it was] full of people, so it was good.

“But to do all of these things – World Ducati Week, MotoGP test, Michelin test with the Superbike, events all around the world every day – yesterday was a bit stressful before a race weekend.

“Two or three hours with the leathers under the sun, sweating all day was a bit hard.

“Okay, for sure there are some harder things in life for someone, but with these hot temperatures you need to save a little bit the body for the race weekend.”